Anorexic woman told she's 'not thin enough' for treatment

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An anorexic woman from Grimsby says she was denied treatment for her eating disorder because she was 'not thin enough'.

Chelsea Salt, 27, has been battling anorexia for seven years.

She had been in a good place for the past two years, but started struggling with her eating disorder through lockdown due to anxiety, and decided to seek help from her local NHS Community Clinic in York, where she now lives.

But when Chelsea had her appointment at the clinic, she was told she would be unable to get treatment because her Body Mass Index (BMI), was above the level classed for anorexia.

NHS guidelines state adult patients with a BMI below 17.5 are diagnosed as being anorexic, but Ms Salt has a BMI of 20.

However, according to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice), people with anorexia can have a BMI higher or lower than average - and BMI is just one of 14 signs that can indicate an eating disorder.

Speaking to the BBC, Chelsea said: "They [the clinic] said 'you won't get in because your BMI is too high'. It makes me feel like a fraud.

"You start questioning yourself, like maybe there's nothing wrong with me and it makes it harder to move forward."

She also said using BMI to diagnose anorexia gave the wrong message to those seeking help.

Facts about Anorexia Anorexia most commonly affects girls and women, although it has become more common in boys and men in recent years. On average, the condition first develops at around the age of 16 to 17. Recent studies suggest that as many as 8% of women have bulimia at some stage in their life. The condition can occur at any age, but mainly affects women aged between 16 and 40 (on average, it starts around the age of 18 or 19. Bulimia nervosa can affect children, but this is extremely rare. Reports estimate that up to 25% of Britons struggling with eating disorders may be male. In 2007 the NHS information centre stated that up to 6.4% of adults displayed signs of an eating disorder. This research also suggested that up to 25% of those showing signs of an eating disorder were male. Eating disorders have the highest mortality rates among psychiatric disorders. Anorexia Nervosa has the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric disorder in adolescence. Of those surviving, 50% recover, whereas 30% improve and 20% remain chronically ill. About 40% of people referred to eating disorder clinics are classified ‘Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified’ with symptoms that don’t fit neatly into either the anorexia or bulimia classifications.

The relevant NHS Trust has said that it is committed to giving the right care.

Liz Herring, of the Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust, said: "We're sorry to hear Ms Salt's concerns about the care and treatment she has received and would encourage her to raise these with us as soon as possible."

She said the health and wellbeing of its patients was "central to all we do".