Updated 1 hour ago NBC Universal, Inc. The pandemic has caused a rise in all kinds of emotional stress, and it has also triggered a spike in eating disorders -- with more people looking for ways to cope with isolation. “I saw myself slipping, and I wanted to get help, so I started calling treatment centers," Rachael Farrokh, an eating disorder patient, shared. Download our mobile app for iOS or Android to get the latest breaking news and local stories. Farrokh, a 43-year-old woman from Orange County, has been struggling with an eating disorder for 17 years. After suffering abuse in her late 20s, she began starving herself as a way to regain control in her life.