Eating Disorder Numbers Up During Pandemic

107%: The percentage increase in calls into the National Eating Disorders Association in the first year of the Covid pandemic due to teen pandemic stress and isolation, just as the number of individuals hospitalized for these disorders roughly doubled during this period.

“As with every addiction; psychiatric conditions in a very broad sense have boomed during the pandemic,” says neurologist Paola Sandroni of the Mayo Clinic.

The National Eating Disorders Association also confirmed interactions with a higher number of individuals with more serious behavioral issues such as suicidal thoughts and self-harm.

This is a very complex issue says Sandroni, noting how the general public perceives eating disorders as a female-only problem rather than male.

“I have seen plenty of bulimia in males, and ‘starving’ to make weight for certain sports.” Our report on the impact of sports teams on these disorders was first published here.  Several companies are pursuing solutions. Aetna, for example, partnered with Equip, a virtual eating disorder service for treating a wide range of eating disorders.