Disorders in eating soar in children
ALMOST 500 people a week were admitted to hospital with life-threatening eating disorders last year – some aged nine or younger.
Meanwhile, the total number of people treated for anorexia or bulimia has almost doubled in the last five years, NHS records show.
Pandemic lockdowns leading to social isolation and mental health problems has been cited as one of the reasons for the surge, along with the influence of social media.
There were 207 hospital admissions in 2020-21 for children aged nine or younger with eating disorders. Another 531 were for those aged 10-12, while 5,975 were logged as being under 19.
The NHS Digital figures include all people treated at hospitals in England with an eating disorder noted on their records.
In the last year, 24,268 patients were admitted for chronic eating disorders compared with 21,768 the previous year and 15,829 a year earlier.
Some of the rise is thought to have been caused by treatments in the community being cut during the pandemic, leaving people with no option but to turn to hospitals.
Tom Quinn, from eating disorder charity Beat, said: “The pandemic has had a significant impact on people with or vulnerable to eating disorders, with many of the people we support experiencing increased anxiety and isolation.”
He added: “The rise in inpatient admissions is particularly concerning, as this is treatment that should be reserved for patients who are most unwell.”
Chris Martin, CEO of young people’s charity The Mix, said: “The conversations about body image on our helpline shot up in 2021, to the highest level recorded in the past two years. We are calling for social media platforms to prevent their algorithms from promoting damaging content to vulnerable young people.”
An NHS spokeswoman said: “The pandemic has taken its toll on the country’s mental health but thanks to £79million additional funding for children and young people, NHS staff are treating more patients with eating disorders than ever
before.”