A recent study discovered that during the Covid epidemic, there was a significant increase in the number of teenage females in the UK who developed eating disorders and engaged in self-harm. The results are truly heartbreaking. The federal government has stated that it would increase funding for eating disorder treatment centers in order to assist a greater number of children and adolescents. Charities are of the opinion that everyone, regardless of where they reside, deserves to have access to early help for mental health difficulties.
Study Findings
The research was conducted by the universities of Manchester, Exeter, and Keele, and it examined nine million medical data belonging to individuals aged 10 to 24 years old from over 2,000 general practitioners (GP) practices located across the United Kingdom. As previously said, the results are heartbreaking. If you’re struggling with any kind of eating disorder, remember that it’s best to discuss with a trustworthy person anything that may concern you!
According to the findings of the study, eating disorders and acts of self-harm have been on the rise among kids and teens for a number of years but “increased substantially” during the years 2020 and 2022. During that time, about 2,700 cases of eating disorders were predicted among adolescents aged 13 to 16; nevertheless, 3,862 were actually recorded, which represents a 42% increase above the amount that was projected.
Although the study did not find any evidence of an increase in the prevalence of eating disorders among males, the experience of organizations suggests that this is not the case. According to the findings of several studies, men have a higher risk of suicide than females do, which suggests that mental health difficulties appear in various ways for each gender.
According to the findings of the study, longer access to social media, less face-to-face interaction, and an increased emphasis on body image may have contributed to feelings of poor confidence and psychological distress during the epidemic, particularly among adolescent females.
Author of the study and child and adolescent psychiatrist at the University of Manchester, Dr. Shruti Garg, referred to the increase as “staggering,” highlighting the urgent need to expand early access to support services.
It’s possible that young people have been exposed to information on social media that has led to an increase in the likelihood of having an eating problem.
According to Tom Quinn, head of external relations at the charity Beat, “We are also aware that the National Health Service (NHS) is treating more children and young people than it ever has before, putting enormous strain on healthcare professionals.”
Along with an additional £54 million per year to improve the capacity of youngsters and adolescents’ community eating disorder services, the government has stated that it would invest an additional £2.3 billion per year into the National Health Service (NHS) mental health services by the end of March 2024.
Tiesha loves to share her passion for everything that’s beautiful in this world. Apart from writing on her beauty blog and running her own beauty channel on Youtube, she also enjoys traveling and photography. Tiesha covers various stories on the website.