COVID-19: Eating Disorder Increased Among Youth During Pandemic; Who Are These Young People?

Eating disorders began to rise among young individuals immediately after the COVID-19 pandemic began.

Anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, and other specified feeding and eating disorders, such as atypical anorexia, are examples of eating disorders. Individuals can acquire eating disorders at any age. However, the peak age of development is 15 to 25 years old.

Experts believe the rise is related to disturbances in everyday life, mental turmoil, and more time spent on social media, which have all been linked to poor self-esteem and bad body image, according to a University of Virginia report.

Eating disorder diagnoses among those under 30 climbed 15% in 2020 compared to prior years. Patients who previously had an eating disorder diagnosis may have become worse during the pandemic, experts say. According to researchers, eating disorder symptoms and anxiety and despair were found to be on the rise.

When it comes to eating disorders, there are three groups of young people that are frequently disregarded.

"Normal"-Weighted Youth

WSAV said being skinny has nothing to do with many eating problems. This implies that, regardless of their physical size, young people might acquire significant medical consequences as a result of their eating disorders.

Adolescents with atypical anorexia nervosa, for example, have anorexia nervosa but are not underweight. They have an acute dread of gaining weight or becoming fat, as well as persistent activity that limits weight growth. However, severe malnutrition and risky vital signs such as a prolonged pulse or low blood pressure may necessitate hospitalization.

Similarly, people with bulimia nervosa, who binge eat and then use laxatives, forced vomiting, or other hazardous habits to avoid weight gain, might have a normal BMI. They may, however, suffer electrolyte imbalances and severe gastrointestinal problems.

Gender Minorities

According to recent studies obtained by WBOY, sexual and gender minority adolescents are more likely than cis-gendered heterosexual youth to have disordered eating and eating disorders. This is assumed to be connected to those groups' greater rates of body dissatisfaction, stigma, and victimization.

The bigotry and discrimination that homosexual, bisexual, and transgender kids endure, according to psychologists, increases their stress, bad thoughts, and isolation. This can lead to feelings of dissatisfaction with one's physique and eating problems.

Disordered eating and a preoccupation with body form and size, in particular, may be linked to transgender youth's dissatisfaction with physical changes throughout puberty that are inconsistent with their gender identification.

Adolescent Boys, Young Men

Historically, females have been the focus of eating disorder studies. It has become more difficult for clinicians, families, and patients to diagnose eating problems in men due to this. Adolescent men, for example, might be more likely to concentrate on physical strength and steroid usage. The Conversation said standard, female-focused screening instruments, and diagnostic criteria usually missed these signs.

Males may account for up to half of all cases of eating disorders, according to the latest study. Male adolescents appear to be more prone to avoidant restricted food intake disorders. While men have likely been underdiagnosed in all types of eating disorders, they seem to be more inclined to a restrictive food intake disorder. This is a novel eating disorder characterized by insufficient food intake but no concern about body form or size.

Male athletes are increasingly self-reporting disordered eating, which is defined as a pattern of problematic eating habits that includes dieting, missing meals, and feelings of shame but does not fulfill official criteria for an eating disorder diagnosis. As a result, high school coaches and sports trainers may be a source of improved knowledge and acknowledgment of poor diet or exercise interactions among young guys.

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