Sept. This is the number of hospital beds reserved for adolescents with anorexia nervosa at the Maison de Solenn, home for adolescents, which is part of the Cochin public hospital in Paris. Seven beds out of twenty in total, thirteen being reserved for other psychiatric disorders from which adolescents suffer.
The reputation of the Maison de Solenn, founded in 2004, is well established in the management of eating disorders (TCA). It brings together an exceptional team – and that’s an understatement – of doctors, psychologists, dieticians, nurses, caregivers, psychomotor therapists…
We, parents of anorexics, measure the privilege of seeing our children cared for there, but are appalled by this numerus clausus – seven beds – which leaves so many others in distress. There are so few equivalent public hospital structures on the national territory. Let’s not even talk about overseas…
More and more cases
Seven beds therefore in this specialized public establishment in Paris to lead the battle against this frightening disease, which affects more and more young people. We say “increasingly”, because the figures are impossible to specify, as cases have exploded since 2020 without the public authorities being able to count them, and therefore to provide a response.
According to the French Anorexia Bulimia Federation, eating disorders affect nearly one million people in France. In an article published on April 28, 2021, The world indicated: “Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, cases of bulimia, binge eating and anorexia exploded in France, especially among young adults (…). In all the specialized services welcoming this public, we report the same worrying order of magnitude: an increase of about 30% in demand compared to other years. The Anorexia Bulimia Info Ecoute telephone line also saw its calls increase by 30% in 2020.
Behind these figures, how many young girls and young boys in pain, how many poor families, ravaged by anxiety? They are quite right: the mortality rate for a young person suffering from anorexia nervosa is much higher than that of people of the same age and suicide attempts are more numerous…
“We who see our child wasting away, wasting away, immured in his illness, waiting for a place to become free, we are told to wait”
Seven beds… We do not want to speak in place of the doctors, even if we do not doubt the tough choices they face to determine who is Esther, Pauline or Sarah – the first names have been changed –, all around 30 kg, will be the next to join the structure as soon as a bed becomes available.
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