Eating disorders increase among the under-18s

The number of young people treated for eating disorders in Bath and Wiltshire jumped during the pandemic.

The NHS is urging young people and their families to seek help if they have such concerns, with the rise potentially driven by the disruption and unpredictability of the pandemic.

There were around 338 children aged 18 and under living in the NHS Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire CCG areas treated for an eating disorder in 2021.

That was a 35 per cent rise from around 251 treated in 2020, according to the figures from NHS England.

The number had also risen from pre-pandemic levels - with around 187 treated in 2019 - to its highest level in five years, up from 153 in 2017.

Of those treated, around 45 were dealt with as urgent cases, down from 58 in 2020, but up from 28 in 2017.

In 2021, 62 per cent of the urgent cases started treatment within the target of one week, compared to 78 per cent in 2020, and 86 per cent in 2017.

The other 293 cases were routine or non-urgent (based on doctor assessments), of which 74 per cent were treated with the target of four weeks.

That was down from 89 per cent in 2020, and from 96 per cent in 2017.

Across England, 12,566 young people were treated for eating disorders in 2021. That was up by 29 per cent compared to 9,758 in 2020 and the highest number in five years, compared to 6,497 in 2017.

The number of children treated urgently rose from 2,006 to 2,758, but the proportion starting treatment within a week dropped to 63 per cent, the lowest proportion since at least 2017. Similarly, the number starting routine treatment rose from 7,752 to 9,808 but the percentage getting help within four weeks fell from 86 per cent to 69 per cent.

NHS chiefs said young people and their families should seek help without delay if they are concerned, with community services now available in every part of the country.

Professor Prathiba Chitsabesan, a psychiatrist and NHS associate clinical director for children and young people’s mental health, advised young people and their loved ones to use trusted online resources if they had concerns and wanted to seek help.

Professor Chitsabesan added that some of the signs to look out for included behaviours such as making rules about what or how they eat, eat

ing a restricted range of foods or having a negative self-image about their weight and appearance. Young people’s problems with food can begin as a coping strategy or a way of feeling in control, but may lead to more restrictive patterns of eating and behaviours. The rise in cases could be attributed to the unpredictability of the Covid 19 pandemic, feeling isolated, disruption to routines and experiences of loss.

The NHS is investing an additional £79 million into children’s mental health services because of increased demand during the pandemic, with funding being used to ensure at least 2,000 more children and young people start eating disorder treatment.

NHS mental health director Claire Murdoch said:“the NHS continues to see record-high numbers of young people for eating disorders and it’s vital anybody who might need care comes forward as quickly as possible so the NHS can get you any care you may need.”