A dedicated telephone counter has been set up at a hospital in Chiba prefecture to accept telephone consultations from all over the country in order to connect people suffering from eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa to early diagnosis and treatment.

This is the first time that a telephone service for the whole country has been established.

This telephone consultation desk was opened last month at the National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Kounodai Hospital, where the "National Support Center for Eating Disorders" is one of the base hospitals.



Eating disorders are diseases such as so-called anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, which are common among young women, and it is estimated that there are 220,000 patients nationwide.



In some cases, malnutrition may result in death, and both mental and physical treatment is required. However, there are few medical institutions that can provide specialized treatment, and in many cases the patient refuses to receive medical treatment. Is an issue.

At the telephone consultation desk that was opened, we received free consultations from patients and their families all over the country, so we received calls one after another on the 15th, and the nurses carefully listened to their symptoms.



According to hospitals, this is the first telephone consultation service for eating disorders nationwide.

Keisuke Kawai, Dean of the Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Kounodai Hospital, said, "I know empirically that the threshold of the hospital is high for patients, but it is difficult to cure by myself. I would like you to connect to an early consultation. "



The "Consultation Hot Line" dedicated to eating disorders is available every Tuesday and Thursday from 9am to 3pm, with a phone number of 047-710-8869.