---
title: "Psych News Alert: What's Behind Dramatic Rise in Hospitalizations for Eating Disorders?"
description: Hospitalizations for either a primary or secondary eating-disorder diagnosis showed a dramatic increase of 24 percent from 1999 to 2009, acc...
image: https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/shutterstock_55713628-Jun-24-2025-05-13-00-9595-PM.jpg
---

 9/14/11 12:00 AM

# What's Behind Dramatic Rise in Hospitalizations for Eating Disorders?

![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [ Psychiatric News Alert ](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert)

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Hospitalizations for either a primary or secondary eating-disorder diagnosis showed a dramatic increase of 24 percent from 1999 to 2009, according to a report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

This increase was attributable to a 40 percent rise in secondary diagnoses in conjunction with eating disorders—from 17,118 to 23,946 during the period—since principal diagnoses of eating disorders fell by 1.8 percent, according to a “statistical brief" titled, “An Update on Hospitalizations for Eating Disorders, 1999 to 2009.” Among hospitalizations in which eating-disorders were the secondary diagnosis, the primary diagnoses were mood disorders, fluid and electrolyte disorders, schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, alcohol-related disorders, and poisoning by medications or drugs.

*Psychiatric News* recently reported on studies finding a genetic link to suicide risk in persons with eating disorders. To read about that link, see [http://pn.psychiatryonline.org/content/46/17/24.1.full](http://pn.psychiatryonline.org/content/46/17/24.1.full).

(Image: Shutterstock)

[suicide](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/suicide), [eating disorders](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/eating-disorders), [hospitalization](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/hospitalization)

## Related posts

[![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/apa_eating_disorders_guideline-Jun-24-2025-06-30-17-4409-PM.jpg?height=200&name=apa_eating_disorders_guideline-Jun-24-2025-06-30-17-4409-PM.jpg) ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2023/02/apa-releases-revamped-practice.html)

[eating disorders](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/eating-disorders), [psychotherapy](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/psychotherapy), [anorexia](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/anorexia), [psychiatric evaluation](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/psychiatric-evaluation), [binge eating disorder](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/binge-eating-disorder)

## [APA Releases Revamped Practice Guideline on Eating Disorders](https://alert.psychnews.org/2023/02/apa-releases-revamped-practice.html)

![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) 

 2/27/23 12:00 AM

[ Read more ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2023/02/apa-releases-revamped-practice.html)

[![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/mark_olfson-Jun-24-2025-10-26-32-8008-PM.png?height=200&name=mark_olfson-Jun-24-2025-10-26-32-8008-PM.png) ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2017/09/increase-in-suicide-attempts-appears.html)

[Mark Olfson](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/mark-olfson), [depressive disorders](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/depressive-disorders), [anxiety disorders](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/anxiety-disorders), [antisocial personality disorder](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/antisocial-personality-disorder), [less education](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/less-education), [suicide attempts](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/suicide-attempts), [M.D.](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/m-d-), [M.P.A.](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/m-p-a-)

## [Increase in Suicide Attempts Appears Driven By Young Adults With Less Formal Education, Psychiatric Disorders](https://alert.psychnews.org/2017/09/increase-in-suicide-attempts-appears.html)

![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) 

 9/13/17 12:00 AM

An overall increase in suicide attempts from 2004-2005 to 2012-2013 appears to have...

[ Read more ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2017/09/increase-in-suicide-attempts-appears.html)

[![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/eating%20healthy%20foods_97935485-Jun-24-2025-05-32-57-1891-PM.jpg?height=200&name=eating%20healthy%20foods_97935485-Jun-24-2025-05-32-57-1891-PM.jpg) ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2013/08/parents-discussion-of-weight-with-their.html)

[weight](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/weight), [eating disorders](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/eating-disorders)

## [Parents' Discussion of Weight With Their Children Can Raise Eating-Disorder Risk, Study Finds](https://alert.psychnews.org/2013/08/parents-discussion-of-weight-with-their.html)

![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) 

 8/5/13 12:00 AM

When parents discuss weight issues with their adolescents, it may encourage them to develop eating...

[ Read more ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2013/08/parents-discussion-of-weight-with-their.html)

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