Communication about symptoms of eating disorders in the general practitioner surgery.
BACKGROUND
An eating disorder is a complex disease in which the patient subjects his or her body to the various eating disorder symptoms in the absence of other ways of dealing with everyday life. There are seven symptoms of an eating disorder that generally appear in different combinations from one period to another in one and the same patient. Feelings of shame may cause information on symptoms to be withheld.


METHODS
Patients aged 18 and above with serious eating disorders responded anonymously to a questionnaire before entering treatment in two specialist departments. The main focus was on whether the patient had talked with a general practitioner (GP) about relevant eating disorder symptoms and ailments that could be related to the eating disorder.


RESULTS
Altogether 114 patients participated (of which three were men). A total of 91 (80%) had discussed the eating disorder with their GP during the past year. Of these, 67% of those who had reduced their food intake over the past year had discussed this with their GP. Altogether 68% of those who had vomited and 33% of those who had over-exercised had communicated this. None of the respondents had revealed their use of diuretic or weight-loss drugs to their GP. 85% of respondents stated that the GP must ask specifically about each symptom of an eating disorder in order to reveal these. At least half had discussed the association between current ailments and the eating disorder. A total of 49% had been weighed.


CONCLUSIONS
In order to be able to establish the best possible basis for a medical assessment, the GP should ask specifically about each symptom of an eating disorder.
Seksjon for allmennmedisin Studentsamskipnaden i Oslo - SiO Helse og Spiseforstyrrelsespoliklinikken på Gaustad Seksjon for personlighetspsykiatri Oslo universitetssykehus.
Tori Flaatten
TF
Halvorsen
Avdeling for allmennmedisin Institutt for helse og samfunn Universitetet i Oslo.
Elin Olaug
EO
Rosvold
Regionalt senter for spiseforstyrrelser Nordlandssykehuset Bodø
Birgit Johanne
BJ
Rydså
Regionalt senter for spiseforstyrrelser Nordlandssykehuset Bodø
Tove
T
Skarbø
Avdeling for allmennmedisin Institutt for helse og samfunn Universitetet i Oslo og Lillestrøm Legesenter.
Ole Rikard
OR
Haavet
D000328:Adult; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D058006:General Practice / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D058005:General Practitioners; D058015:Health Communication; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires