Eating Disorders rise in lockdown - why?

[starfish88]

I was watching the news this morning and they said there had been an increase in the number of people suffering from eating disorders. They seemed to attribute that to the stress of the pandemic and the general crapness of now.

But there was no mention of how the splitting of shopping into 'essential' and 'non-essential' would be massively detrimental to people with eating disorders. And I'm not talking about the MN cheese in coffee, no Easter eggs, crisps on a bench brigade, I'm talking the police massively overstepping and threatening to search peoples shopping for non-essentials. news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-police-backtrack-after-chief-threatened-to-search-shoppers-trolleys-11971269 and the cordoning off of certain areas of supermarkets. It's considering baby formula 'non-essential'. If my baby isn't eating I'm sure as hell not. www.google.com/amp/s/www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8881145/amp/Mark-Drakeford-says-stores-use-discretion-non-essential-items.html

I've been recovered from anorexia for 10 years and had maintained a Bmi of 20 for all that time. This has been the first time in 10 years I have slipped into the underweight category and there is no doubt that this kind of thing has been massively unhealthy for me and probably thousands of others.

I'm not a covidiot, anti-vaxxer (having received both of my doses) and I believe some of the things the government have laid out have helped. But this policy doesn't seem to have been risk assessed for the lives it saved from covid (any at all?) vs the damage it did to people with eating disorders. And I doubt that this damage will ever really be acknowledged or resolved with the state of mental health care in the country and the waiting lists.

Just to add, I totally get why people are falling into eating disordered behaviour right now, it's more the way the news readers seemed to totally ignore the way the over policing seemed to play a part for me at least. But it seems that it hasn't played much part for many others (at least those who have responded - thank you) so it's reminded me how diverse eating disorders are and allowed me to vent even if you didn't find it as triggering as I did!

A friend’s son lost weight during the first lockdown because she was struggling to get hold of his safe foods. He’s autistic, but I can see how it would affect people with an ED as well. I imagine that being told that some foods aren’t essential may have made some people anxious about buying their safe foods, even if those foods were in stock.

I wonder if the over-policing added to the feeling of a loss of control for some people? I don’t have an ED, but reports of police stopping people for legal things did make me quite anxious at some points. Pre-covid, I always thought (maybe naively) that if I didn’t break the law, I wouldn’t get in trouble. Reports of fines given for legal things did make me feel like I was no longer in control of whether or not I get in trouble with the law.

Where was this large scale stopping people buying “non essential” food? In Wales at one point, shops weren’t allowed to sell non essential goods but that didn’t include food.

Where was this large scale stopping people buying “non essential” food? In Wales at one point, shops weren’t allowed to sell non essential goods but that didn’t include food

I don't think it's that non essential food buying was banned, it's more that there was a sense that if you weren't buying bread and milk then you should get out of the shop. You can see this on dozens of posts from this time last year. I can remember someone being villified for stopping to buy a beer from a village shop on her way back from a walk. And people were definitely told they shouldn't be going into supermarkets for Easter chocolate. And for someone with an eating disorder, labelling foods into essential and non essential (or good and bad or healthy and unhealthy or treat foods etc) can be problematic and lead to more restrictive eating.

I'm not saying it was wrong to try and encourage 'essential' shopping only. Just that OP's point makes sense from an eating disordered perspective and I know it was a problem for many. I have a relative in her 30s who lives alone. She was making a kind of game out of how long she could make food last between shopping trips. She isn't anorexic but she does have an unhealthy relationship with food and lost a lot of weight. Partly out of guilt and fear of going into shops for the 'wrong' reasons, I think.

Stress, control, for some people its even the fact that you won’t be caught not eating lunch or purging. For me being caught is a huge issue, if I someone is around I’m generally okay, if I’m alone a lot and I’m not going to be caught I very easily slip into a ‘blip’.

If you have an ED a foodshop can be a scary place, add in covid changes and it can be too much for some people.

We also have the people who already have an awful relationship with food, we have them here on MN who are ‘stuffed’ are a very small salad, consider half a tin of soup a meal etc and are so consumed by their unhealthy attitude they fail to identify a normal diet, for some this leads to them calling perfectly normal meals large/greedy/disgusting etc. They already have extreme views about diet/food, if you stress that sort of person more it can cause their issues around food to become more severe.

There was this article at the start of lockdown: www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-51962964

"Many people with eating disorders say they're having a difficult time. Common issues include not being able to get hold of "safe foods" - a serious issue for those whose diet is limited to these items alone - and guilt over buying and eating food during a crisis."

I can well imagine lots of people relapsing early on, and then being unable to get back on their feet because their usual support networks weren't there.

for everyone struggling.

My son's OCD is absolutely dire now.

The prominent reporting on the role of obesity with covid risk probably has something to do with it.

@CRbear Ive been struggling with EXACTLY the same thing.

Its something i thought id gotten over years ago. Till this shit started.
And this can be about control too. e.g Boris wants overweight people to lose weight.
Me? Fuck you Boris. You are controlling everything else You arent controlling this as well!!!

Eating out of boredom and emotional eating. Also the usual distractions from food are not there. Usually people would be out and about, so not thinking about food all the time. Many people also eat when they are worried or anxious.

Nikki Grahame reality TV star has just died after a lifelong battle with anorexia. Her mum said she struggled with the gyms being closed as she can't eat properly unless she knows she can go to the gym and exercise. Loneliness triggered her ED too.

So sad. That poor lady. I saw a photo of her recently and I can’t say I’m surprised - she was literally just skin & bone. Another example of ‘collateral damage’ that makes me so angry 😠.

OP, I could have written your post. I had anorexia around 8 years ago and since then have recovered and managed to maintain my BMI around 20. I’d gone along really well up until last March, barely given it a thought. In the last year my weight has plummeted again, and was quite badly underweight by the autumn (to the point the Dr was calling me in fortnightly for a chat and to monitor me). I’ve managed to pull it up a bit towards the normal range but it’s been hard.

I think a few things triggered it.

a) I caught Covid last March. For 6 weeks I lost my taste and felt sick and the weight fell off. There’s nothing like losing weight to trigger losing more weight.

b) when I’m struggling, I can often make myself agree to eat if I have a very specific food. If I ran out, in pre Covid days I’d just pop to the supermarket and then I could eat. Suddenly I couldn’t do that. I wasn’t allowed to go into the supermarket and collect 12 tins of one specific rice pudding and nothing else, it had to be a proper shop. Or the delivery would come and that would be out of stock. The moment I feel my food being policed and I can’t eat the food I want, I won’t eat. I can’t control this, before those who’ve never been there berate me.

c) gyms closed. At the gym, you see lots of heavier people and see they have energy and look fine, and health and strength is prioritised, not weight. I could focus on keeping toned and healthy. Now I’m stuck with just focussing on weight. Also, the gym I went to had a coffee shop with “healthy” snacks such as protein bars and I’d be happy to have that after I’d exercised.

d) coffee shops closed. Because it’s a social thing rather than an eating thing, I’d go three or four mornings a week for a coffee with adult DDs or a friend, and have a cake as part of that. That got me eating by 10.30am. At home, it’s often 3pm or later before I bother to eat anything.

e) I’ve lost my support networks. I haven’t seen most of my friends since last summer and it’s even been illegal to see my daughter and my mum. With no one to offload to, problems get out of hand and controlling eating starts coming in. Friends are a great normalising influence and they’ve been largely taken away from us.

f) what messaging have we had from govt? Don’t be overweight, you’ll die from Covid. Lose weight and be healthier. Don’t eat sweets or cake - they’re not essential. I need to eat without thinking about whether it’s essential or healthy or not.

I’m sure there’s more and I’m sure trying to control this unpredictable world is a part of it, but I suspect the effects of the Covid measures are going to have consequences way, way beyond saving lives from Covid, and beyond anything the government originally foresaw.

Sorry this is long but I honestly thought I was the only one struggling. It’s both a relief and sadness to realise I’m not alone.

I saw that Waxonwaxoff.Very sad.I have been hospitalized in my 20s and lost a lot of weight when dcs were born.For me it was control and something I was good at.
When the dcs were little our in come was low so I saved money by not buying food for myself.
I agree the isolation leaves little else to think of than food and exercise.Also on furlough cutting back seemed sensible.I have lost a few pounds.My heart goes out to anyone struggling right now.

I know someone who has struggled with bulimia on and off for over 20 years, but for the last 5/6 years has had it largely under control.

She has massively regressed in the last year down to 2 factors:

1. boredom- she binges when she has nothing else to do
2. gyms being closed which results in boredom/more free time and then the psychological factor of "well if I'm not training it doesn't matter"

I also know other people who have started massively restricting their calorie intake because they can no longer get to a gym or sports centre and are terrified of gaining weight.

I think covid, and the related restrictions, have impacted a lot of people with pre-existing struggles be that a mental health condition, chaotic or abusive home life or care for a disabled relatives etc.

I do think that at times over 202 there was tunnel vision where the risks from from covid was centred with little attention to the risks ‘lockdowns’ posed. However I’m not sure how else the situation could have been managed.

I can imagine things like social isolation caused or worsened by loxkdown also was difficult for people with things like eating disorders.

I was stopped from buying my safe food when restrictions first started. (6pk crisps x 5 certain flavour and brand.) I tried to explain but they just said get 2 packs of 20 odd different crisps, but that wasn't going to help. They thought I was very odd. I just queued up as many times as it took to get them as I know I have to have some calories to have enough energy for DC. I also know I can exercise it off.

FWIW, I am wondering whether the dogooders have decided this is the 'next issue'. I don't like the news stories and find them triggering so I've only read the OP. So I'm not sure whether they are on the rise, just more visible since we are at home and together a lot.
I've had an ED since as long as I can remember, but have been flying under the radar for many years via avoidance. "She's always been skinny." True, my BMI has only been over 15 when I was pregnant and it was hell. "She doesn't eat much." True, I don't. "I ate earlier." True I ate something safe.
I had failure to thrive as a baby and my mother wasn't very interested in my eating habits, she was only bothered when it affected her.

You've lost me. What's this about essential food etc? I've been going to the supermarket and buying everything I normally buy. I think you are providing yourself with an excuse not to consume food.

I would have thought that it's more likely to do with the amount of people who, maybe subconsciously, use the gym to counteract eating... and in the absence of being able to follow their normal workout routines have found themselves reducing intake to counteract the reduced output, and it spirals from there.

@picknmix1984 An excuse not to consume food...that's what an eating disorder is, alright

My dietitian told me they had cancelled l outpatient clinics and support as their services were needed in hospitals during Covid. Still haven't had an appointment, which was regular before Covid.

@starfish88 yes I know that! I meant by focusing on essential/ non essential categories.

@picknmix1984

You've lost me. What's this about essential food etc? I've been going to the supermarket and buying everything I normally buy. I think you are providing yourself with an excuse not to consume food.

At the start of this when food supplies were limited, supermarket shelves were bare and people were being told to stay at home and only buy essential foods. Generally "essential" was managed only by its existance in a supermarket, but there was some media reporting where it was literally policed (Easter Eggs being one example). In Wales in November "non-,essential" aisles were taped up.

Then there was the social pressure. Numerous MN threads about milk/ cheese in coffee, cucumbers...
Is it OK to make a seperate trip out to buy an item or two at the corner shop.

If you have a very emotionally fragile relationship with food and cope with your own mental rules about what is safe, that kind of disruption is extremely triggering.

Our relationships with food in this house are fairly normal although I have a child with ASD who likes condistency. I remember joking mid-March that I wasn't panic buying, just feeding ravenous children. The restriction of 3 items of a product was also limiting on normal weekly replacement levels for things like tinned fruit cocktail or yoghurts x4 packs. A friend with a picky toddler was having to get friends to donate pasta as the toddler ate little else.

It's not difficult to understand how these disruptions and the anxiety caused would disrupt coping strategies and trigger regression.
Add in reduced support, formal or social, reduced access to managed fitness...

Sorry, challenging the 'logic' of eating disorders rarely works though because I do know it's completely illogical. Let's face it if I could use logic I would just eat more. I don't know how many times I've been asked 'have you tried not starving yourself?' or similar.

I’m sure it’s multifactorial and different for different people.
General anxiety and stress being exhibited and controlled through eating.
Fear of reappearing in summer with a lockdown tummy.
Increased relationship stresses and shabby partner behaviour.
Time to focus on eating more and constant adverts for restaurant home cooking packs and luxury items making food more of a thing and more worrisome for some.
Increased focus on exercise and those who’ve bought new bikes etc or walking more being told how good they look all the while.