Why the pandemic led to a steep increase in eating disorders
Kooth Digital Health
Effective personalised digital mental health care, available to all
This week’s news reports on the increased prevalence of eating disorders over the pandemic stemmed from a study by the University of Manchester, Keele University and the University of Exeter. Their analysis is concerning and confirms what we continue to see in our data.
In 2019, 5.1% of presenting issues on Kooth (for children and young people) concerned eating difficulties. This rose to 6.7% in 2020 and 8% and 8.27% by 2021 and 2022 respectively. To put it another way, there were seven weeks in 2020 where eating difficulties as a presenting issue rose to 8% prevalence and over; in 2021, this had risen to 30 weeks and in 2022 to 38 weeks.
According to Dr Kerry Irving, senior clinical psychologist at Kooth and eating disorder expert, there are a number of possible reasons for this dramatic increase:
“As well as those issues mentioned in this study - that teenage girls in particular were trying to regain a sense of control during the pandemic and focussing on body image and their weight - there are many other complex reasons for this increase. One obvious one was that it was a response to the isolation many felt from their usual emotional support at school, through friends and teachers.
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“For so-called ‘high achievers’ the loss of school and exams to focus that sense of drive on sometimes could have led to them finding another way to gain the same sense of achievement - in some cases clearly, restricting food and focusing on weight.
“There may have also been a lack of early help available. In specialist eating disorder services at the time, there were lots of people who had become more poorly, more quickly, without others around them being able to physically see them and their behaviours and flag concerns early. Add to that the fact that Covid and lockdowns were a very real barrier to accessing GP appointments and worries over ‘wasting NHS time’.
“On a wider level, for me it calls to mind hierarchies of need: for many, lockdown was very much a threat to life and safety (if not a threat to their health, certainly to availability of food, and resources), so often in those contexts, ‘higher level needs, such as self esteem, mental wellbeing and self-actualisation are understandably not at the front of people's minds.
“As a friend, parent or carer, if you’re concerned, try to be curious. Approach someone with an attempt to understand rather than lecture, and be open with them about your concerns in a non-judgemental way. If possible, support them to access help, for example to see their GP. Families and friends are great resources for people wanting to overcome an eating difficulty or disorder. It’s best to take action earlier rather than later - the ‘watch and wait’ approach can be unhelpful.
“Finally, it’s worth checking whether Kooth (for children and young people) and Qwell (for adults) are available in your area. Both are accredited by BACP and offer free and professional support; the charity Beat is brilliant for support too and has great resources for preparing to visit your GP that dispels some myths around waiting to make referrals.”