Increase in US Eating Disorders During Pandemic
2021-06-08
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1From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report.
2In the United States, restrictions are loosening and COVID-19 cases are decreasing.
3However, eating disorder cases are on the rise, report doctors and specialists.
4For people with eating disorders, the pandemic created a more dangerous situation.
5In lockdown, feelings of anxiety and loneliness are common.
6Experts warn that being alone and feeling anxious can increase the severity of eating disorders.
7"We are absolutely seeing massive increases," said Jennifer Wildes.
8She is an associate psychiatry professor and director of an eating disorders program at the University of Chicago Medicine.
9Wildes told the Associated Press that some patients are waiting four to five months to get mental health treatment and medication.
10Before the pandemic, she added, wait times were usually only a few weeks.
11Currently, Wildes' program treats about 100 patients.
12Before the pandemic, the number of patients was half that amount.
13A treatment program for eating disorders at the University of Minnesota is experiencing the same thing.
14Daily calls to its program from people seeking treatment have doubled.
15In 2019, there were about 60 calls a day.
16Since the pandemic began, that number is up to 130 calls a day, said Jillian Lampert.
17She is one of the leaders of the program.
18Lampert stated that increases were seen in all races and ages.
19She says, however, that women and girls are more commonly affected than men.
20Some of her patients have told Lampert that their lives feel "out of control" because of the pandemic.
21As a result, they use binge eating as a way to deal with their problems.
22Binge-eating is a disorder in which a person often eats large amounts of food and feels unable to stop.
23Other people are doing the opposite of binge-eating.
24They are taking the message "don't gain pandemic weight" to the extreme.
25They are restricting their meals to the point of anorexia.
26Anorexia is one of the more common eating disorders.
27Anorexic people restrict eating to achieve extreme weight loss.
28It can cause abnormally low blood pressure and organ damage.
29Bulimia is another eating disorder.
30Bulimic people eat large amounts of food and then force themselves to throw it up.
31Peyton Crest, an 18-year-old from Minnetonka, Minnesota, said she developed anorexia before the pandemic.
32She has relapsed twice since it began.
33When her classes moved online, she suddenly lost her support system of friends and classmates.
34She would spend all day alone in her room and could only think of food and her anorexic behavior.
35She got treatment last June but then relapsed last September and spent almost two months in a treatment center.
36Her school recently returned to in-person classes.
37And she was accepted to Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee.
38Crest says her mental health has improved greatly.
39Eating disorders affect at least 9 percent of people worldwide.
40They will affect nearly 30 million Americans in their lifetimes and cause about 10,000 U.S. deaths each year.
41These numbers come from the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders.
42A study of electronic medical records from about 80 U.S. hospitals found a 30 percent increase starting after March 2020, compared with numbers from 2019 and 2018.
43The study was published in April in the Epic Health Research Network journal.
44The leader of the Epic study is family doctor and researcher Dr. Dave Little.
45He said that the COVID pandemic has given society, and in particular young people, a lot of mental health difficulties.
46"This has been a big event that has disrupted a lot of people's lives in many ways," he said.
47It may be months or years before we know the true damage, Little added.
48But he said the information should serve as a warning to parents and health care providers.
49"Talk to your kids. Talk to your patients. Ensure that eating behaviors remain healthy," Little warned.
50He added that "the sooner you respond the better."
51Here are some signs of eating disorders from the U.S. National Eating Disorders organization.
52Thinking about weight, body size, and food too much
53Restrictions against types of food, for example, bread or sugar
54Seems uneasy eating around others
55Develops strange food routines, such as chewing too much or not allowing foods to touch
56Skipping meals or not eating enough at regular meals
57Avoiding usual friends and social activities
58Disappearing immediately after eating
59Extreme change in mood or behavior
60And that's the Health & Lifestyle report. I'm Anna Matteo.
1From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report. 2In the United States, restrictions are loosening and COVID-19 cases are decreasing. However, eating disorder cases are on the rise, report doctors and specialists. 3For people with eating disorders, the pandemic created a more dangerous situation. In lockdown, feelings of anxiety and loneliness are common. Experts warn that being alone and feeling anxious can increase the severity of eating disorders. 4"We are absolutely seeing massive increases," said Jennifer Wildes. She is an associate psychiatry professor and director of an eating disorders program at the University of Chicago Medicine. 5Wildes told the Associated Press that some patients are waiting four to five months to get mental health treatment and medication. Before the pandemic, she added, wait times were usually only a few weeks. Currently, Wildes' program treats about 100 patients. Before the pandemic, the number of patients was half that amount. 6A treatment program for eating disorders at the University of Minnesota is experiencing the same thing. Daily calls to its program from people seeking treatment have doubled. In 2019, there were about 60 calls a day. Since the pandemic began, that number is up to 130 calls a day, said Jillian Lampert. She is one of the leaders of the program. 7Lampert stated that increases were seen in all races and ages. She says, however, that women and girls are more commonly affected than men. 8Different types of eating orders 9Some of her patients have told Lampert that their lives feel "out of control" because of the pandemic. As a result, they use binge eating as a way to deal with their problems. 10Binge-eating is a disorder in which a person often eats large amounts of food and feels unable to stop. 11Other people are doing the opposite of binge-eating. They are taking the message "don't gain pandemic weight" to the extreme. They are restricting their meals to the point of anorexia. 12Anorexia is one of the more common eating disorders. Anorexic people restrict eating to achieve extreme weight loss. It can cause abnormally low blood pressure and organ damage. 13Bulimia is another eating disorder. Bulimic people eat large amounts of food and then force themselves to throw it up. 14Peyton Crest, an 18-year-old from Minnetonka, Minnesota, said she developed anorexia before the pandemic. She has relapsed twice since it began. 15When her classes moved online, she suddenly lost her support system of friends and classmates. She would spend all day alone in her room and could only think of food and her anorexic behavior. 16She got treatment last June but then relapsed last September and spent almost two months in a treatment center. 17Her school recently returned to in-person classes. And she was accepted to Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee. Crest says her mental health has improved greatly. 18How widespread are eating disorders? 19Eating disorders affect at least 9 percent of people worldwide. They will affect nearly 30 million Americans in their lifetimes and cause about 10,000 U.S. deaths each year. These numbers come from the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders. 20A study of electronic medical records from about 80 U.S. hospitals found a 30 percent increase starting after March 2020, compared with numbers from 2019 and 2018. The study was published in April in the Epic Health Research Network journal. 21The leader of the Epic study is family doctor and researcher Dr. Dave Little. He said that the COVID pandemic has given society, and in particular young people, a lot of mental health difficulties. 22"This has been a big event that has disrupted a lot of people's lives in many ways," he said. It may be months or years before we know the true damage, Little added. 23But he said the information should serve as a warning to parents and health care providers. 24"Talk to your kids. Talk to your patients. Ensure that eating behaviors remain healthy," Little warned. He added that "the sooner you respond the better." 25Warning signs of a possible eating disorder 26Here are some signs of eating disorders from the U.S. National Eating Disorders organization. 27Thinking about weight, body size, and food too much 28Restrictions against types of food, for example, bread or sugar 29Seems uneasy eating around others 30Develops strange food routines, such as chewing too much or not allowing foods to touch 31Skipping meals or not eating enough at regular meals 32Avoiding usual friends and social activities 33Disappearing immediately after eating 34Extreme change in mood or behavior 35And that's the Health & Lifestyle report. I'm Anna Matteo. 36Lindsey Tanner reported this story for the Associated Press. Anna Matteo adapted it for VOA Learning English. Susan Shand was the editor. 37____________________________________________________________ 38Words in This Story 39anxious - adj. afraid or nervous about what may happen 40massive - adj. large in amount or degree 41throw up - v. vomit 42relapse - v. a recurrence of symptoms of a disease after a period of improvement 43disrupt - v. to cause (something) to be unable to continue in the normal way : to interrupt the normal progress or activity of (something) 44mood - n. a person's emotional state 45routine - n. a regular way of doing things in a particular order