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.

@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.

So none of the supermarkets where you live rationed any products and products weren’t sold out?

It’s not helped me. I e worked like a dog with 60 hour weeks and 4 teens at home. I’ve put on weight with stress

Because people with eating disorders do it to feel that they are able to take maximal control of an aspect of their life, especially when other aspects are beyond them. Such as lockdown.
Recovered anorexic here.

I found the limits of purchasing 'safe food' very difficult in the initial lockdown. Milk has always been 'safe' and not being allowed to buy enough for the week was very difficult and required trips to multiple shops or to keep going round in the queue in the same one as another poster did.

I 'recovered' from an ED 15years ago and foolishly believed it would never affect me like this again. However, being by myself surrounded by news reports on obesity and covid was incredibly detrimental. I'm considerably thinner than pre-covid when I was a normal weight and enjoyed eating with friends and family. I waste a lot of time now on planning what I can have and ensuring I move enough to be entitled to it. Although I don't think the government could have done much else initially I'm very bitter about the affect it's had on me personally. I have no fear of covid but I'm frightened of my behaviour and worried that even when 'normality' returns I won't be able to join in.

I only realised I have bulimia about 3 months ago ... I intend to call the charity tomorrow