Hospital admissions for eating disorders double pre‑pandemic levels

Hospital admissions for eating disorders have risen by about 250 % since the COVID‑19 pandemic, putting current figures at roughly twice the pre‑pandemic level.

The surge was highlighted at a conference organised by St John of Gods, which brought together practitioners, academics and people with lived experience to discuss how best to tackle the condition.

Professor Fiona Mac Nicholas, a consultant psychiatrist at CHI Crumlin and Lucena Clinic, told Newstalk Breakfast that the increase is most pronounced among adolescents. “We always knew that eating disorders have a peak age of onset in adolescence, so from about 13 to 18 years old is the time at which anorexia nervosa in particular comes on,” she said.

She noted that the pandemic’s disruption of routine, social contact and normal activities such as gym attendance contributed to the spike, alongside heightened anxiety and public health messages about diet and exercise.

Social media was identified as another growing factor, with constant exposure to “ideal body” images placing pressure on people of all ages.

Professor Mac Nicholas warned that even younger children, as young as eight to ten, are now presenting with symptoms and urged GPs, teachers and families not to ignore any sudden weight loss or restrictive dieting.

Anyone affected can contact the Bodywhys helpline, available seven days a week on 01‑210 7906.

Source: Newstalk. Photo: SHVETS production / Pexels.