"Soon after the 2022 election a woman came into my electorate office to tell me about her teenage daughter. She spoke about her family's journey through anorexia, the lack of effective and available medical support and treatment, about her child being held down by security guards for forced refeeding in hospital, the compounding mental health issues for the whole family, the financial and marital pressure as she tried to keep her child alive."
"One of the most deadly mental illnesses, eating disorders among those aged 10 to 19 have risen by 86% since 2012, roughly coinciding with the rise of social media and, in the latter period, Covid. In 2020, for example, the number of admissions to the ED unit at Monash Children's hospital in Melbourne were more than double mean annual admissions in 2016-2019."
A teenage girl's severe anorexia and forced refeeding in hospital exemplify gaps in effective, available medical support, with families facing compounding mental health, financial, and marital pressures. Eating disorders among 10–19-year-olds have risen 86% since 2012, roughly coinciding with increased social media use and the COVID period. Hospital admissions rose sharply; in 2020 Monash Children's ED admissions were more than double 2016–2019 annual means. Age of onset is falling, with cases as young as 11. Research, expert panels, advocacy groups, parents, and people with lived experience were convened, and government funding from the MRFF was approved.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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