Kamis, 31 Mei 2012

Schoolgirl aged just ELEVEN among 44 children admitted to one city hospital with anorexia

Schoolgirl aged just ELEVEN among 44 children admitted to one city hospital with anorexia

  • Four boys, aged 13, 14, 15 and 16, and 40 girls, aged between 11 and 18, were treated for eating disorder
  • They were taken to Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital between January 2007 and December 2011

By Graham Smith

PUBLISHED: 10:10 EST, 31 May 2012 | UPDATED: 11:28 EST, 31 May 2012


A schoolgirl aged just 11 was among more than 40 children admitted to a city hospital with anorexia over a five-year period, shock new figures have revealed.

Four boys, aged 13, 14, 15 and 16, and 40 girls, aged between 11 and 18, were treated for the severe eating disorder at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital.

The severely-ill children were taken to the hospital between January 2007 and December 2011, a Freedom of Information request shows.

Big issue: A schoolgirl aged just 11 was among more than 40 children admitted to Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital with anorexia over a five-year period

Big issue: A schoolgirl aged just 11 was among more than 40 children admitted to Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital with anorexia over a five-year period

The bombshell comes as a report by MPs says that more than half of the British public suffers from a negative body image.

The problem is so acute that girls as young as five now worry about their size and appearance.

Norwich-based national eating disorders charity Beat is a member of the Campaign For Body Confidence steering group and submitted evidence to the national inquiry.

The charity says poor body image and low self-esteem are key factors in the development of eating disorders.

It is now working with toiletries giant Dove to provide free self-esteem workshops in schools across Britain.

Penny Baily, founder of Norwich's Newmarket House Clinic, a specialist inpatient hospital for people with eating disorders, said: 'Severe anorexia is a very serious condition.

'It's wrong that people reach such a low level of health before they are admitted for inpatient treatment at a general hospital.'

Half of the British public suffers from a negative body image. The problem is so acute that girls as young as five now worry about their size and appearance

Half of the British public suffers from a negative body image. The problem is so acute that girls as young as five now worry about their size and appearance

She added: 'When patients are admitted to general wards for re-feeding, they are occupying beds that could be used more appropriately by other patients, for example those with renal or heart conditions.

'They put a strain on medical and nursing staff who have not been training to treat the complex symptoms of this particular illness.

'For 16 years, Newmarket House in Norwich has been accepting NHS-funded patients from Norfolk and other parts of the country.

'It's one of the very few residential specialist hospitals for eating disorders.

'If patients are admitted before their weight has dropped to a critical level, staff at this specialist clinic are able to combine careful re-feeding with psychological interventions to enable the patient to sustain recovery.

'We know through experience that if sufficient investment is made in the treatment of individuals with an eating disorder, even those who are seriously affected can make a full recovery.'

 

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I meant right.............. oops! look to the right!

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....and there will be a lot more, just look to your left, how many stories can see relating to the "ideal" weight and how you should "look" to be popular successful.

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Where children are involved, it is the PARENTS who should be receiving treatment.!! Norman, Durham, England, 31/5/2012 18:45 ----------- Norman your ignorance makes me so angry. You clearly have no experience or knowledge of the causes of mental illness. At the very least, have some empathy!!!!!!!!!

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SEE DAILY MAIL, THATS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU KEEP ON RAMBLING ABOUT KIDS BEING OBESE ??????????????

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Where children are involved, it is the PARENTS who should be receiving treatment.!!

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What do you expect, when the press are obsessed with a woman's size - either too big or too skinny. Celebs being airbrushed out of recognition by magazines etc. The DM is obsessed with celebrity pictures and how much weight they've lost or put on. And to top it all, being weighed and measured at school (last year of primary school) and being sent a letter saying you're obese. Add to this mix the fact that teenage girls at high school are pure evil towards one another, and it's no wonder that girls grow up with a complex about their body image. Our 12 year old thinks she needs to lose 3 stone to be socially accepted by her peers - she's 5'5" and weighs just under 10 stone, so not obese by any stretch of the imagination - just a healthy, growing girl.

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So sad that body image is a big thing for children do young. My daughter wanted to go on a diet because our Wii Fit told her she was overweight. It's heartbreaking because she's 8 years old and is already being told by friends that she looks fat.

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I'm not saying it;s a good thing but atleast young suffers are still under parental care and guidance at 11, unlike some bad anorexics at the age of 35+ who are trapped in their body dysmorphia. If they're taught/treated correclty it could prevent a life of mental illness.

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