Rise in hospital admissions for eating disorders
HOSPITAL admissions for children with eating disorders have risen by almost a fifth in two years and by almost a third among all age groups, new figures show.
NHS Digital data for England obtained by the PA news agency shows a rise in admissions across most parts of the country, with the Covid-19 pandemic also having an effect on inpatient treatment.
The data shows there were 21,794 admissions for eating disorders among all age groups in 2019/20, up 13% from the 19,244 in 2018/19 and up 32% from 16,547 in 2017/18.
For children aged 18 and under, there was a 9% rise in admissions from 4,534 in 2018/19 to 4,962 in 2019/20, but the jump was 19% from 4,160 admissions in 2017/18.
Some 4,348 of the admissions in 2019/20 were for teenagers aged 13 to 18, up 8 per cent on a year earlier (4,021).
A further 418 admissions in 2019/20 were for 10 to 12-year-olds, up 12 per cent on 374 a year earlier.
Almost half of the 418 admissions among 10 to 12-year-olds were for girls with anorexia (187) while there were also admissions for a range of eating disorders among youngsters under 10.
Tom Madders, director of campaigns at the charity Young Minds, said: “It is worrying to see a further rise in the number of children and young people being admitted to hospital for eating disorders.
“While there have been improvements in waiting times for eating disorder services for children in recent years, it can still be difficult for them to get the help they need before they reach crisis point.
“The factors behind eating disorders are complex but we know what a difference early support can make, often preventing problems from escalating and meaning that a young person is more likely to fully recover.
“With it becoming clearer that the pandemic is deepening the crisis in young people’s mental health, the Government must act to ensure that early support is there for those that are struggling and make prevention and early intervention a genuine priority.”
Eating disorders are characterised by eating too much or too little, being obsessed with weight or body shape, excessive exercise, having strict food routines and/or deliberate vomiting after eating.
The most common types of eating disorders are anorexia, bulimia and binge-eating disorder.
Overall, hospital admissions for anorexia rose 9% from 8,090 in 2018/19 to 8,796 in 2019/20, while bulimia rose 15% from 4,253 to 4,904.
Meanwhile, admissions for other types of eating disorders rose 17% from 6,901 to 8,094.
Dr Agnes Ayton, chair of the eating disorders faculty at the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said: “This deadly illness is thriving because people have lost many of their support networks alongside access to community services as a result of Covid-19.
“Infection control and social distancing in inpatient units has also led to a reduced number of beds, so desperately-ill patients are struggling to get help.
“The Government and the NHS must take immediate action to tackle this crisis.