Eating disorders on the increase
The number of teenagers admitted to hospital with eating disorders has nearly doubled
The number of teenagers admitted to hospital with eating disorders across the UK has nearly doubled in three years, according to NHS figures.
In the year 2010/11 the NHS saw 959 teenagers aged 13 – 19 admitted to hospital with eating disorders. This number rose to 1,815 in the year 2013-14.
Speaking to BBC Newsbeat, Dr Carolyn Nahman at the Royal College of Psychiatrists said the institute is increasingly concerned with the “pressure of social media” that teenagers experience when looking at what are supposedly “ideal bodies”.
Vulnerable teenagers can easily access thousands of images with one click of a button.
“Young people who look at these images often develop body image dissatisfaction, quite low self-esteem, because they’re constantly comparing themselves to these perfect images,” she said, adding that this is a risk factor for disordered eating and more serious eating disorders that can prove fatal.
The Independent on Sunday revealed in January that the number of children and teenagers seeking help for an eating disorder had soared by 110 per cent in the last three years, with ChildLine stating it had received more than 10,500 calls and online inquiries for food and weight related anxiety in the last financial year