Anorexia nervosa and the efficacy of an eating disorder service.

Anorexia nervosa is often a chronic and severe disorder in which morbidity and mortality are high. This article describes the treatments used at The Priory Hospital's eating disorder service. The findings of an audit and follow-up study found that 85 per cent of the anorexic patients were successfully helped to gain weight (up to their normal weight) at a rate of about 1 kg per week. In a follow-up study four years later 80 per cent were doing reasonably well.