‘They Should Understand That the Anorexia Drives me to do Anything’: Exploring How Individuals With Anorexia Nervosa Make Sense of the Experience of Medical Admissions

OBJECTIVE: Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a complex disorder associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Some people with AN require medical admissions to manage physical complications. Currently, little is known about how these medical admissions are experienced, despite an increase in the number of individuals being hospitalised. METHOD: Interpretative phenomenological analysis was employed to explore adults' lived experience of medical admissions for AN, with data collected through individual interviews. Ten individuals with experience of medical admissions directly related to a diagnosis of AN took part. FINDINGS: Six themes were identified. Admissions were often lifesaving. Gratitude was expressed for medical intervention and, for some, for an intensification of care. However, hospitalisation left many feeling scared and overwhelmed. Participants felt misunderstood and stigmatised and their illness identity continued to dominate. Mental and physical health services were experienced as disconnected and close others sometimes had to shoulder significant responsibility for care. CONCLUSIONS: Recommendations are offered regarding the value of enhancing training on AN amongst medical professionals to improve care experiences and the potential importance of a more collaborative and holistic approach that considers patients' comorbidities and personal histories. Future research should explore whether therapeutic techniques may support development of a non-anorexic identity during or after medical admissions and what aspects of treatment can render hospitalisation harmful.