Breakdown of Number of Body Dismorphic Disorder and Eating Disorder Cases Treated in Past Five Year
Ministry of HealthSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns the statistics and treatment of body dysmorphic disorder and eating disorders in public healthcare institutions as raised by Ms Raeesah Khan. Minister Gan Kim Yong stated that data is not collected for body dysmorphic disorder due to its infrequent diagnosis, though approximately 300 patients were treated for eating disorders annually from 2016 to 2020. The majority of these cases involved females with a median age of 21, with anorexia and bulimia nervosa identified as the most common conditions. Minister Gan Kim Yong clarified that all public hospital psychiatry departments offer treatment and provide educational resources to raise awareness among healthcare workers and the public. These initiatives include published e-books and collaborations with community service providers to support caregivers and promote early diagnosis.
Transcript
13 Ms Raeesah Khan asked the Minister for Health (a) in the past five years, how many cases of body dismorphic disorder and eating disorders have been treated in the public healthcare institutions; (b) what is the breakdown by condition, age and gender; (c) how many healthcare institutions offer consultation and treatment for body dismorphic disorder and eating disorders; and (d) whether the Ministry conducts any campaigns to promote early diagnosis of such disorders.
Mr Gan Kim Yong: MOH does not collect data on Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD). BDD is an infrequent diagnosis amongst the patients who present to hospitals.
The two most common eating disorders seen at our public hospitals are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Available data provided by the psychiatric departments of public hospitals showed that, over the last five years from 2016 to 2020, an average of 300 patients per year received treatment for various eating disorders. The median patient age was 21, and nine in 10 are females.
Currently, the psychiatry departments across all public hospitals are able to treat patients with eating disorders.
Our public hospitals have been actively providing education materials and health education talks for healthcare workers and members of the public about these conditions. For example, SGH has published an e-book on their website titled “Treating Eating Disorders, a SGH experience”, KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH) has published commentaries to raise awareness on eating disorders and collaborated with community service providers to educate and support care-givers of patients with eating disorders.