MANCHESTER, United Kingdom — Eating disorders among young girls dramatically escalated during the pandemic, a new study reveals. Researchers in the United Kingdom uncovered a 42-percent increase in diagnoses among 13 to 16-year-olds during the health crisis. There was also a 38-percent rise in cases of self-harm within the same two-year period.
This trend was also observed among 17 to 19-year-olds, albeit to a lesser extent, adding to mounting evidence linking lockdowns to the worsening mental health of adolescents. While the precise causes remain uncertain, the study’s lead author, Alex Trafford, a PhD student at the University of Manchester, emphasizes the importance of early identification of mental health difficulties among young people and timely access to treatment in order to prevent the exacerbation of existing conditions.
The researcher further advocates for sufficient access to general practitioners and mental health services to meet the increasing demands of young individuals seeking help.
Possible triggers include isolation, lack of structure, and heightened anxiety. Adolescents also face pressure from social media not to gain weight during lockdowns. Teenagers with eating disorders are at a higher risk for suicide than the general population, placing them among those most affected by deadly mental health illnesses.
Conditions such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating often stem from body dissatisfaction and a desire for weight loss. Studies suggest that up to 10 percent of people will develop an eating disorder in their lifetime, and a recent study estimates that one in five teens may struggle with disordered eating behaviors.
According to Trafford, self-harm and eating disorders often signify underlying psychological distress and serve as coping mechanisms. Both forms of psychopathology typically manifest during adolescence or early adulthood and are more prevalent among girls than boys. Shared risk factors include experiences of traumatic events and certain psychological traits and cognitive styles.
Trafford’s team analyzed data from 1,881 general practices across the U.K., including over nine million individuals between 10 and 24 years-old. They found that the observed incidence of eating disorder diagnoses in girls was significantly higher than expected based on previous trends.
This increase was largely attributable to a rise in cases among 13 to 16-year-olds, and to a lesser extent, among 17 to 19-year-olds. The observed incidence of self-harm in girls between 13 and 16 also exceeded expectations.
The team compared the actual rates of documented diagnoses during the pandemic with projected rates based on data from 2010 to 2020, assuming the pandemic had not occurred, from March 2020 to March 2022. They observed 3,862 cases of eating disorders and 9,174 cases of self-harm among 13 to 16-year-old girls, significantly higher than the projected numbers of 2,713 and 6,631 respectively.
The study also provides novel insights into how the pandemic has affected pre-existing socioeconomic differences in the rates of eating disorders and self-harm. During the pandemic, the higher-than-expected rates in girls aged 13 to 16 years were largely due to increases within less deprived communities, and the authors stress the need for further research into the reasons for these findings.
Trafford highlights the surge in eating disorders and self-harm among teenage girls as a long-term consequence of the pandemic that demands attention. The study author calls for enhanced measures for early identification of mental health difficulties, timely access to treatments, scaling up of services, and ongoing support from doctors and mental health services to mitigate potential long-term issues.
Finally, Trafford notes that while there was no observed increase in the incidence rate among boys, their struggles might manifest in other disorders.
The study is published in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health.
South West News Service writer Mark Waghorn contributed to this report.
i guess the fake pandemic had the desired effect on society.
Clarification: The mild flu-like disease with a 0.02% mortality rate was real. The “pandemic” was not.