Debated in Parliament on 11 May 2021.
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.
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.
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