Does being overweight or male increase a patient's risk of not being referred for an eating disorder consult?

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether sex, age, body mass index (BMI), and eating disorder diagnosis were associated with referral rates for eating disorder consults in a general inpatient psychiatric facility.

METHOD: An inpatient sample of 136 individuals with a current eating disorder diagnosis were utilized for this study. Chi square and logistic regression were used to identify variables affecting the likelihood of having an eating disorder consult.

RESULTS: More women than men were identified as having a current eating disorder diagnosis. For both women and men, eating disorder not otherwise specified (EDNOS) was the most common diagnosis, followed by binge-eating disorder (BED). Compared to women, there were more men who did not receive an eating disorder consult. Specifically, overweight men were less likely to be referred for a consult.

DISCUSSION: Results highlight the need of healthcare providers to ask all individuals about their eating habits, which could then provide an opportunity to explore eating disorder symptoms. Due to historical biases, the less distinct nature of some diagnoses or the absence of symptoms that have been considered indicators of clinical severity, providers may be more likely to overlook individuals with diagnoses of EDNOS and BED for consults, especially men. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (Int J Eat Disord 2016; 49:963-966).