In general, anyone who is unable to properly care for themselves or is in danger of hurting themselves should be admitted to the hospital. For anorexia, there also exist specific criteria for admission.
These criteria for admission include:
- Severe malnutrition (less than 75% of ideal body weight)
- Cardiac arrythmias
- Signs and symptosm of dehydration
- Electrolyte abormalities such as hyper or hypokalemia (high or low potassium)
- Bradycardia (heart rate less than 50bpm)
- Hypotension (blood pressure less than 80/50) or a significant change in blood pressure from lying down to standing (orthostatic changes)
- Any acute medical or psychiatric emergencies