Mental health units discharging eating disorder patients with ‘dangerously low’ BMIs

Mental health units discharging eating disorder patients with ‘dangerously low’ BMIs. FoI request reveals some people sent home despite BMIs below 15 – considered to be ‘severe malnutrition’ Patients with eating disorders are being discharged from mental health units even though they are still very thin and have “dangerously low” body mass index levels. Some hospitals are sending home people whose BMIs are as low as 12.5, despite usual clinical practice in the NHS seeking to wait until a BMI of 18 or 19 has been achieved. Continue reading…