scholarly journals Review of Ireland’s First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic Impact on People Affected by Eating Disorders: ‘Behind Every Screen There Was a Family Supporting a Person with an Eating Disorder’

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (15) ◽  
pp. 3385
Author(s):  
Harriet Parsons ◽  
Barry Murphy ◽  
Deirbhile Malone ◽  
Ingrid Holme

Irish society went into one of the most stringent lockdowns in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and barring a few weeks, remains highly restricted at time of writing. This has produced a wide range of challenges for those affected by eating disorders, as well as treatment services and Bodywhys, The Eating Disorders Association of Ireland. Current research indicates that COVID-19 has impacted across three key areas—the experience of those with an eating disorder, the experience of service provision, and the impact on the family situation. Drawing on monitoring and evaluation data gathered by Bodywhys, this paper details the challenges faced by those affected by eating disorders in Ireland and how the organisation responded to these challenges, providing support in various forms to people with eating disorders and their families.

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Mey Susanti AS ◽  
Dewi Rispawati ◽  
Basuki Srihermanto ◽  
Suryaningsih

Indonesia reported the first case of Covid-19 on March 2, 2020. Data as of March 31, 2020 showed that there were 1.528 confirmed cases and 136 deaths. The Covid-19 death rate in Indonesia is 8.9%, the highest in Southeast Asia. After confirming the first case, the Government of Indonesia took various countermeasures to reduce the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic in various sectors. Not only the health sector but also the economic sector has suffered no less serious impacts due to this pandemic. At the family level, the small and middle levels of society become weak and decline, this is due to restrictions on community activities. Due to these conditions, it is necessary to make efforts that we must do to be able to restore the economic condition of the family by utilizing the potential that exists around it. This service was carried out at the Women Farmers Group called ‘Kelompok Wanita Tani (KWT) Maju Bersama’  Pelempat, Meninting Village, West Lombok District, West Nusa Tenggara Province. The method used in this activity is implemented in 4 (four) activity stages, namely 1) Preparation, 2) Socialization, 3) Activity Implementation, and 4) Monitoring and Evaluation. The results of the activity showed that members of  Kelompok Wanita Tani (KWT) Maju Bersama have understood the technique of developing oyster mushroom cultivation and have high motivation to become entrepreneurs through cultivating oyster mushrooms as well as making it to increase people's income in the New Normal Era of the Covid-19 pandemic.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Birgegård ◽  
Afrouz Abbaspour ◽  
Stina Borg ◽  
David Clinton ◽  
Emma Forsén Mantilla ◽  
...  

AbstractObjectiveTo document the impact of the COVI-19 pandemic on the health and well-being of individuals with past and current eating disorders in Sweden.MethodWe re-contacted participants from two previous Swedish studies who had a known lifetime history of an eating disorder. Participants completed an online questionnaire about their health and functioning at baseline early in the pandemic (Wave 1; N=982) and six months later (Wave 2); N=646).ResultsThree important patterns emerged: 1) higher current eating disorder symptom levels were associated with greater anxiety, worry, and pandemic-related eating disorder symptom increase; 2) patterns were fairly stable across time, although a concerning number who reported being symptom-free at Wave 1 reported re-emergence of symptoms at Wave 2; and only a minority of participants with current eating disorders were in treatment, and of those who were in treatment, many reported fewer treatment sessions than pre-pandemic and decreased quality of care.ConclusionsThe COVID-19 pandemic is posing serious health challenges for individuals with eating disorders, whether currently symptomatic or in remission. We encourage health service providers and patient advocates to be alert to the needs of individuals with eating disorders and to take active measures to ensure access to appropriate evidence-based care both during and following the pandemic.Significant Outcomes and LimitationsIndividuals with eating disorders symptoms or current active disorder report higher adverse impact of COVID-19 on their mental healthEven individuals who were symptom-free early in the pandemic reported a resurgence of eating disorder symptomsA large proportion of symptomatic individuals were not in treatment for their eating disorder, services should be aware and access to evidence-based care should be ensured across SwedenLimitations included the use of a convenience sample with atypical diagnostic distribution, and a low initial response rate, possibly introducing bias and limiting generalisability.Data Availability StatementFully anonymized data are available from the corresponding author upon request.


Author(s):  
Robyn Sysko ◽  
Sara Alavi

In comparison to other psychiatric diagnoses, eating disorders are relatively rare among the population, but are associated with significant morbidity and mortality. This chapter focuses on the assessment of eating disorders in adults and youth, including individuals with anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder. It begins with a review of the nature of the disorders, which is followed by a review of clinical assessment instruments designed for the assessment purposes of (a) diagnosis, (b) case conceptualization and treatment planning, and (c) treatment monitoring and evaluation. Recommendations are included for instruments with the greatest scientific support and for assessing eating disorders in a clinically sensitive manner.


2012 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 109-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Robinson

SummaryThe MARSIPAN (MAnagement of Really SIck Patients with Anorexia Nervosa) project was established in response to reports of patients admitted to medical wards and proving refractory to treatment, sometimes dying on the ward. Psychiatrists, physicians and other clinicians in nutrition and eating disorders were brought together to discuss key issues in the assessment and management of such patients. The resulting guidance report, which applies to adult patients over 18, addresses: assessment of risk, where to treat the patient, specialist support for medical teams, key elements of treatment, namely (a) safe refeeding to avoid refeeding syndrome and underfeeding syndrome, (b) management of problematic behaviours, (c) support for the family, and (d) transfer to a specialist eating disorder unit when appropriate and possible.


Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 2969 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rami Bou Khalil ◽  
Ghassan Sleilaty ◽  
Sami Richa ◽  
Maude Seneque ◽  
Sylvain Iceta ◽  
...  

Background: The current study aimed to test whether food addiction (FA) might mediate the relationship between the presence of a history of childhood maltreatment and eating disorder (ED) symptom severity. Methods: Participants were 231 patients with ED presenting between May 2017 and January 2020 to a daycare treatment facility for assessment and management with mainly the Eating Disorder Inventory-2 (EDI-2), the Child Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), and the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS 2.0). Results: Participants had a median age of 24 (interquartile range (IQR) 20–33) years and manifested anorexia nervosa (61.47%), bulimia nervosa (16.88%), binge-eating disorders (9.09%), and other types of ED (12.55%). They were grouped into those likely presenting FA (N = 154) and those without FA (N = 77). The group with FA reported higher scores on all five CTQ subscales, as well as the total score of the EDI-2 (p < 0.001). Using mediation analysis; significant indirect pathways between all CTQ subscales and the EDI-2 total score emerged via FA, with the largest indirect effect emerging for physical neglect (standardized effect = 0.208; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.127–0.29) followed by emotional abuse (standardized effect = 0.183; 95% CI 0.109–0.262). Conclusion: These results are compatible with a model in which certain types of childhood maltreatment, especially physical neglect, may induce, maintain, and/or exacerbate ED symptoms via FA which may guide future treatments.


2022 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanessa Opladen ◽  
Maj-Britt Vivell ◽  
Silja Vocks ◽  
Andrea S. Hartmann

Body checking (BC) is not only inherent to the maintenance of eating disorders but is also widespread among healthy females. According to etiological models, while BC serves as an affect-regulating behavior in the short term, in the longer term it is assumed to be disorder-maintaining and also produces more negative affect. The present study therefore aimed to empirically examine the proposed longer-term consequences of increased BC. In an online study, N = 167 women tracked their daily amount of BC over a total of 7 days: Following a 1-day baseline assessment of typical BC, participants were asked to check their bodies in an typical manner for 3 days and with a 3-fold increased frequency for 3-days. Before and after each BC episode, the impact of BC on affect, eating disorder symptoms, general pathology and endorsement of different functions of BC was assessed. Participants showed longer-term consequences of increased BC in terms of increased negative affect and general pathology, while eating disorder symptoms remained unaffected. In the case of typical BC, participants showed decreased general pathology and anxiety. Furthermore, the endorsement of a higher number of BC functions led to increased negative affect and an increased amount of typical BC. The findings support the theoretically assumed role of maladaptive BC in maintaining negative emotion in the longer term. However, though requiring replication, our finding of positive effects of typical BC calls into question the overall dysfunctionality of BC among non-clinical women who are not at risk of developing an eating disorder.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maegan E. Jones ◽  
Elizabeth H. Blodgett Salafia

Introduction. Educational policies in the United States addressing eating disorders are lacking, despite noted increases in risk factors such as body dissatisfaction that occur throughout students' education. Similarly, there seems to be no available scientific information on the potential effects of this lack of education. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the type, amount, and frequency of information regarding eating disorders that college students recalled receiving throughout their educational careers. Methods. The sample consisted of 43 participants, mostly female, from a tri-college area in the Midwestern U.S. Ten qualitative focus groups were conducted in order to assess a wide range of eating disorder topics, including education about eating disorders. The four education-related codes generated using thematic analysis by the researchers were: When participants learned about eating disorders, when they wish they learned, what they learned, and what they wish they learned. Results. The majority of participants indicated only receiving occasional information in a health class if at all, and this often did not occur until mid-to-late adolescence, which is problematic as the risk factors for eating disorders would have begun years earlier. Most information centered on simplistic definitions of Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa. Participants said that education should be more in depth than simple definitions, and noted that this information should begin early in elementary school (ages 6-10). Participants also stated that they wished they had known more of the warning signs and how to seek help, as well as how to approach and help someone else. Conclusions. This study shows how the U.S. education system may fail to inform youths about the risks for and consequences of eating disorders, potentially leaving them vulnerable to developing unhealthy habits. The data provide suggestions for future educational efforts, namely that information should start in schools in early childhood, as information later in their educational careers may be too late. Keywords: Education, eating disorders, prevention, public policy


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara J. Hansen ◽  
Alice Stephan ◽  
David B. Menkes

Abstract Background Several countries have reported increased demand for eating disorder services during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly for adolescents. Within New Zealand, anecdotal and media reports suggest similar changes but are limited in scope and detail. We assessed eating disorder service demand in the Waikato district in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods We retrospectively analysed records of eating disorder admissions and referrals for both children (< 18 years) and adults (≥ 18 years) during 2019 and 2020 in the Waikato, a mixed urban–rural province in northern New Zealand (population 435,000). We analysed medical admission and outpatient referral rates, and referral acuity, in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic using Welch’s t- and chi-square tests. Results 106 medical admissions met inclusion criteria (n = 37 in 2019; 69 in 2020). Admissions for eating disorders increased markedly following nationwide lockdown in March 2020 (RR = 1.7, p = 0.01), largely driven by increases in adult admissions (RR 2.0, p = 0.005). The proportion of ‘new patient’ admissions showed comparable increases for both children (RR = 2.0, p = 0.02) and adults (RR = 2.3, p = 0.03). Following lockdown, outpatient referrals increased in acuity (RR = 1.8, p = 0.047) and volume (RR = 1.6, p = 0.076) for children but not for adults. Conclusions Our study confirms a pandemic-related increase in demand for eating disorder services in the Waikato region of New Zealand, consistent with findings reported overseas. We observed contrasting increases in admissions for adults and outpatient referrals for children, exacerbating resource constraints for already stretched services and compromising provision of timely care. Plain English summary The COVID-19 pandemic has been linked to increased numbers and worsening severity of eating disorders in several settings. In New Zealand, similar trends have been noted anecdotally. We assessed clinical records to calculate rates of eating disorder-related hospital admissions and outpatient referrals during 2019 and 2020. We found significant increases in hospital admissions related to COVID-19, particularly for adults, and greater proportions of both children and adults having a first-ever eating disorder-related admission. In outpatient services, young people were referred more frequently during the pandemic and were more physically unwell when referred. These results indicate increased demand for eating disorder services as a result of the pandemic and complement findings reported overseas.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dawn Branley-Bell ◽  
Catherine V. Talbot

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound, negative impact on the lives and wellbeing of the population, and it can raise additional challenges for individuals with eating disorders. During early stages of the UK lockdown, individuals reported disruptions to many aspects of their lives, including reduced feelings of control and serious concerns over the impact of the pandemic on eating disorder symptoms and/or recovery. This study compares data from two time points to explore the ongoing impacts of the pandemic on this population. Method: A mixed-methods online survey was developed for the purpose of this study. Data was collected at the two key time points: First, soon after the start of the first UK lockdown (April 2020) and second, as the first lockdown restrictions began to be lifted (June 2020). The sample consisted of 58 individuals currently experiencing, or in recovery from, an eating disorder. Participants were aged between 16-65 years; 57 identified as female, and 1 male. Results: Higher perceptions of general, external control were associated with recovery between the time points. Individuals who experienced less perceived control reported a tendency to rely upon eating disorder behaviours as an auxiliary coping mechanism, i.e., diminished external control was directed inwards and replaced with controlling their own behaviour. Conclusions: Perceived control is a significant factor in eating disorder recovery. As a result of the pandemic’s negative impact upon peoples’ sense of control, individuals with eating disorders are at significant risk of detrimental impacts on their recovery and wellbeing. The results have implications for future treatments based on strengthening individuals’ perceptions of control to promote recovery.


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