Lockdown prompts big rise in eating disorders

Eating disorders in Kiwi adolescents have skyrocketed since last year’s Covid-19 lockdown, with experts saying upheaval and uncertainty around the pandemic and loss of routine were significant factors.

Experts are seeing increases of at least 50 per cent in the number of people presenting with eating disorders – including anorexia and bulimia – and say most are aged from 11 to 14.

They fear there are many more youngsters battling behind closed doors and want to create awareness in the community.

The Herald has heard reports of children as young as 8 dangerously unwell and hospitalised as a result of their eating issues.

Young males are also presenting more often.

Nutritionist Nikki Hart – who is Auckland-based but has clients across New Zealand – said she had seen an increase of at least 25 per cent in young people on her client list in the past 12 months.

And New Zealand Eating Disorders Clinic director and psychotherapist Kellie Lavender said her team had seen a 50 per cent increase across the board – with the bulk of the numbers “leaning towards” adolescents.

“It’s like a tsunami really,” Lavender said.

“Keeping up is really tough. Year on year we have had a 10 per cent increase in eating disorders across the diagnostic spectrum – anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder and avoidant resistant food intake disorder.”

Hart believed the eating disorders young Kiwis presented with were usually a symptom of a deeper mental health issue – mainly anxiety – and likely brought on – or exacerbated – by the Covid-19 pandemic.

She said many young people were simply not coping during the national lockdown.

Some did not have great home lives, others who really enjoyed school struggled with not attending and many just felt the huge pressure of being home with their whole family during lockdown and “losing” their normal life.

“There were also cases with some children who were able to hide their eating disorders at school each day, whose parents noticed and were able to say, ‘Oh shoot, my child has issues’,” she said.

“The ages 11 and 12 are where we start seeing these things . . . for me, I am seeing much more of it, an increase in both bulimia and anorexia, an increase in males . . . but it’s usually a symptom of something much bigger.

“It’s definitely a symptom of anxiety.”

Hart said watching more videos and content on things such as TikTok and Instagram led to “more self examination”, which was harmful for some young people.

“We need to talk about youth mental health and make sure eating disorders are looked at as part of it as well – we can’t just sweep it under the rug,” she said.