Since the start of 2020 the number of girls diagnosed with eating disorders has surged - way more than predicted
For Bryony Rowe, the signs she was seriously ill had been creeping in for some time. She'd force herself to spend three hours at the gym every day, and punish herself if she hadn't perfectly controlled her food intake.
Bryony was in denial about the extent of her eating disorder, but her partner encouraged her to see a doctor. She was placed on a waiting list for 18 months before finally being referred to a therapist. Reports of self-harm in girls aged 13-16 was also 38 per cent higher than anticipated, but in boys, there was no increase in rates of eating disorders detected.
"These figures have sustained following the pandemic. This is a trend that has been seen nationally and internationally as well as in Greater Manchester," she said. "The pandemic gave me a lot more thinking time, so my mind became consumed with food as it had no other occupation. "As a teenager I played rugby to a high standard and I definitely found there was a lot of pressure as a girl doing sports that weren't considered very feminine," she said. "I would receive a lot of comments about my body and how doing these sports wouldn't align with what femininity was.
"I constantly wanted to look really toned and I was very taken in by the social media portrayals of people in sport. I felt I was really battling against my genetics because I couldn’t look that way." "There were periods that I was getting so restrictive with the way I led my life. I would try to plan how to get out of social events and my partner at the time was quite aware and he said I’m going to take you to the doctors."
"I can really emphasise with people being in a scenario where you feel like you've lost your habit and routine and you're thrown into something very unknown and it's quite common people will fixate on something they can control," she said. "We also know that the NHS is treating more children and young people than ever before, with healthcare professionals under huge amounts of strain," Mr Quinn said.
Help and support Samaritans samaritans.org operates a 24-hour service available every day of the year. If you prefer to write down how you’re feeling, or if you’re worried about being overheard on the phone, you can email Samaritans at [email protected] , write to Freepost RSRB-KKBY-CYJK, PO Box 9090, STIRLING, FK8 2SA and visit www.samaritans.org/branches to find your nearest branch.
Childline runs a helpline for children and young people in the UK. Calls are free and the number won’t show up on your phone bill.Beat Eating Disorders: Beat provides helplines for adults and young people offering support and information about eating disorders. These helplines are free to call from all phones. Adult Helpline: 0808 801 0677, Studentline: 0808 801 0811, Youthline: 0808 801 0711. www.beateatingdisorders.org.
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