Body Dysmorphic and Eating Disorders

Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament
Ms Raeesah Khan
MP for Sengkang GRC

Question No. 721

To ask the Minister of 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.

Written Answer

1 The Ministry of Health (MOH) does not collect data on Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD).  BDD is an infrequent diagnosis amongst the patients who present to hospitals.  

2 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 (2016 to 2020), an average of 300 patients per year received treatment for various eating disorders.   The median patient age was 21 years old and nine in 10 are females.  

3 Currently, the psychiatry departments across all public hospitals are able to treat patients with eating disorders. 

4     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”, KKH has published commentaries to raise awareness on eating disorders and collaborated with community services providers to educate and support caregivers of patients with eating disorders.