The number of girls and young women reporting eating disorders and self-harming were significantly higher than expected during lockdown. In contrast, the number of boys reporting these psychosocial disorders was lower than expected during this period.
This is based on recent analysis of the medical records of 1.9 million females and 1.4 million males from over 1800 GPs, conducted between March 1, 2020, and March 31, 2022 (1)
Breakdown of the findings
- Reported cases of eating disorders were 42·4% higher than expected for girls aged 13–16 years
- Cases of eating disorders were 32·0% higher than expected for girls aged 17–19 years.
- The rates were similar to expected for women aged 20-24.
- The rate of girls aged 13–16 years who reported self-harming was 38·4% (20·7–58·5) higher than expected.
- Conversely, for boys the reported incidents of both eating disorders and self-harm were lower than expected during lockdown.
Why did eating disorders and self-harm rates increase for girls but not for boys during the Pandemic?
Previous studies had also found a deterioration in youth mental health due to lockdown, and this is possibly due to the disruption to daily life routines, educational routines, and increased stress within the family.
Another contributing factor may be concerns over returning to normal routines after a break and worry about the impacts of lockdown on future achievement.
Interestingly this particular study found that the deterioration in young female mental health was led by those in the least deprived areas.
Thus a further reason for this increase may be better mental health services in the least deprived areas and increased reporting by middle class teenage girls.
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