Eating Disorders and Pandemics

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the new coronavirus (Sars-Cov-2), created, in the early months of 2020, a global health emergency state (World Health Organization, Twitter, 2020). Across the globe, governments attempted to curb its impact by imposing several community health measures including mandatory lockdown and quarantine. In this chapter, we summarize current knowledge on the impact of COVID-19 pandemic and associated public health measures on people with lived experience of eating disorders, and the impact of the pandemic on both the exacerbation of symptoms and the eventually increased presentation of cases. Based on the available research, there is substantial evidence of the impact that the pandemic had on the prevalence rate of symptoms of eating pathology, and symptomatic exacerbation, and even relapse in those with lived experience of eating disorders. It is possible that the COVID-19 pandemic might have precipitated or exacerbated the onset of eating disorder pathology for many individuals due to the extreme changes in daily life. Most reviews have highlighted the following contributing factors: (1) changes in daily routines, including exercise-related routines; (2) social isolation and related difficulties in accessing usual social activities and support; (3) access to specialized healthcare and changes on treatment delivery mode; (4) instances of increased interpersonal conflict in a confinement context, especially reported by adolescents and young adults; (5) difficulty in dealing with media messages; and (6) fear of food scarcity or limited access to preferred food items. We also discuss the probable differential impact of the abovementioned factors on those from marginalized identity or socioeconomic groups, as well as the response from the clinical and scientific community including what might change in the future due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We are not all in the same boat. We are all in the same storm. Some are on super-yachts. Some have just the one oar. – Damien Barr