Chaminda Jayanetti writes for The Guardian that, according to Observer analysis of government data, the NHS has seen a significant rise in referrals of young people with eating disorders.
In 2020, 19 562 new referrals of under-18s with eating disorders (a rise of 46% compared to the 2019 numbers) have been recorded.
Rebecca Willgress, head of communications at the eating disorder charity Beat, points out the lockdown’s deteriorating impact on people’s mental health, including the cases for relapsing. She also points out the struggles children and young people have to go through and says that the calls to Beat’s helpline rose 173% between February 2020 and January 2021.
Tom Madders of youth mental health charity YoungMinds highlights the concerning rise in children and young people needing support for eating disorders, with many having to wait too long for treatment.
Dr Karen Street, officer for mental health at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, points out that the initial focus on healthy eating during the first lockdown in some young people developed into an unhealthy obsession, and consequently – into a diagnosable eating disorder.
Dr Street also stresses the concern of cases rising at the universities and points out that this problem is here to stay, even after the lockdown is lifted, and it is important for us to recognise this fact.