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How did this all begin?’ I ask. The young woman sits in front of me, quietly crying. She is painfully thin, her cheekbones jutting out and I can see her clavicles poking through her sweater. Her skin is dry and her hair is starting to fall out because she is so malnourished.
‘Well, I started dieting after seeing posts on social media,’ she begins. For a doctor working in eating disorders, as I have done for the past ten years, this is a fairly standard response. I see the dark underbelly of social media every day. I see the negative consequences of a world increasingly dominated by thoughtless posts, malicious messages and hidden agendas.
This includes four per cent who said their feelings about food interfered with an ability to work, meet personal responsibilities or enjoy a social life.
Women under 35 were most likely to have an eating disorder (28 percent of those aged 16 to 24 and 27 per cent aged 25 to 34). The chances then dropped with age and was lowest among those aged 75 and over (five percent).
Men aged 25-34 were the most likely to suffer (19 percent), before also declining with age to six percent of those aged 75 and over.
Several factors made people more likely to say they had disordered eating, including deprivation, being overweight, smoking or suffering mental health problems.
Close up of man checking blood sugar level by glucometer at home
The proportion of adults with diagnosed diabetes trebled in England between 1994 and 2019, according to latest research.
The findings, which relate to both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, are based on analysis of the latest results from the Health Survey for England 2019, which is commissioned by NHS Digital.
“Covid-19 has rightly prompted greater focus on obesity reduction, which will also help with the problem of rising diabetes”
Jenny Mindell
Researchers from University College London and the National Centre for Social Research analysed data from over 8,200 adults and 2,000 children living in private households in England
First published on Wed 16 Dec 2020 12.55 EST
A doubling of urgent referrals for children with eating disorders combined with a squeeze on services caused by the pandemic has led to an increase in waiting times, with some patients sent hundreds of miles to obtain help, psychiatrists have said.
A staggering one in five women in England may have an eating disorder, according to the NHS Health Survey for England. The figures for 2019 are far higher than those in a comparable survey in 2007.
The number of young people seeking emergency support in the community for anorexia and bulimia reached an all-time high, as mental health practitioners say eating disorders thrive in the isolation brought on by coronavirus. However, available treatment has been further reduced, as most day services are either closed or run with hugely reduced numbers. A leading psychiatrist said the situation was leading to avoidable deaths.