On 7 November 2026, regional media and specialist organisations reported on the strain that anorexia (anorexia nervosa) causes in families. Parents describe how the illness dictates daily life: shared outings, longer journeys and ordinary mealtimes are avoided; siblings and relationships come under pressure. These immediate experiences are set against measurable increases in inpatient treatment and continuing gaps in provision in child and adolescent psychiatry.
According to the Federal Statistical Office, eating disorders were diagnosed predominantly as anorexia in 2023, with 9,200 cases (76 per cent of all inpatient cases recorded under eating disorder diagnoses); hospital data document a rise in case numbers over several years. Meanwhile, the DAK Children and Youth Report and the KiGGSdata from the Robert Koch Institute point to higher prevalence of disordered eating, particularly among teenage girls. Such epidemiological findings underline why affected families increasingly depend on inpatient care.
Consultants and professional associations also report long waits waiting times for outpatient therapy places and a shortage of day-patient provision. Institutions such as Charité report waiting times of several months; the Federal Chamber of Psychotherapists and state reports confirm growing pressure on child and adolescent psychiatry services. For families, this means that after inpatient treatment, follow-up care is often not available at short notice, therapy services are unevenly distributed across regions, and parents frequently take on intensive coordination and caregiving responsibilities.
Treatment experts stress that successful care is multimodal and must involve families; psychotherapy, medical monitoring and nutritional counselling are key components. Parent networks and self-help groups offer emotional support and practical experience, but do not replace professional care.
Political and professional calls are therefore focused on better needs-based planning, more specialist places and faster access to outpatient psychotherapy. Measures to strengthen both regional capacity and arrangements for continuity of care after hospital stays are considered necessary to alleviate distress and prevent chronic illness.
The facts, figures and quotations in this article were checked against the Federal Statistical Office’s hospital diagnosis statistics, the DAK Children and Youth Report, the Robert Koch Institute’s KiGGS analysis, and statements from specialist clinics and professional associations. Accounts of specific patients’ experiences come from regional reports published on 7 November 2026.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).