Research Article

Effectiveness of day hospital treatment for anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa†

  1. Eike Fittig1,*,
  2. Corinna Jacobi1,
  3. Herbert Backmund2,
  4. Monika Gerlinghoff2,
  5. Hans-Ulrich Wittchen3

Article first published online: 31 JUL 2008

DOI: 10.1002/erv.883

Issue

European Eating Disorders Review

European Eating Disorders Review

Volume 16, Issue 5, pages 341–351, September/October 2008

Additional Information

How to Cite

Fittig, E., Jacobi, C., Backmund, H., Gerlinghoff, M. and Wittchen, H.-U. (2008), Effectiveness of day hospital treatment for anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. European Eating Disorders Review, 16: 341–351. doi: 10.1002/erv.883

Author Information

  1. 1

    Unit for Eating Disorders Research, Institute of Clinical Psychology, Technical University of Dresden, Germany

  2. 2

    Treatment Center for Eating Disorders, Munich, Germany

  3. 3

    Institute of Clinical Psychology, Technical University of Dresden, Germany

*TU-Dresden, Institut für Klinische Psychologie und Psychotherapie, Stiftungsprofessur für Essstörungen und assoziierte Störungen, Chemnitzer Straße 46, 01187 Dresden, Germany.

  1. †

    The data collected for this paper were performed during the years 1996–2001, while MG, HB and HUW were staff members of the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry. Concept and analyses for the paper were developed by HUW, MG and HB joint with the other authors of the Technical University of Dresden.

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 18 AUG 2008
  2. Article first published online: 31 JUL 2008

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Keywords:

  • day hospital treatment;
  • eating disorders;
  • effectiveness

Abstract

The aim of this observational study was to examine the short-term effectiveness of a structured, largely manualised day hospital treatment, as well as the stability of short-term effects in patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN). Eighty-three patients, 47 with AN and 36 with BN, were assessed at pre-treatment, at the end of the day hospital treatment and at follow-up approximately one year after post-treatment. Outcome measures were body mass index (BMI), disturbed eating attitudes and behaviours assessed by the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI), frequency of bingeing and purging, and general psychopathology assessed by the Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90). At the end of the day hospital treatment, significant improvements could be found on all outcome variables (frequency of binge eating/vomiting/laxative abuse, BMI and core EDI-subscales ‘drive for thinness’/‘bulimia’/‘body dissatisfaction’). Effect sizes were generally large (.74 > d < 2.44). The effects were maintained or improved until follow-up (18 months). At follow-up, 40.2% of AN patients and 40.4% of BN patients could be classified as remitted. General psychopathological impairment was also significantly reduced at post-treatment and maintained until follow-up. The results demonstrate both the short-term effectiveness and long-term stability of day hospital treatment in a large sample of patients with anorexia and BN. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.

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