Eating disorder support group sees influx of patients

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO)- Many are dealing with mental health crises since the beginning of the pandemic Now, health officials say the number of young people in Southern Colorado looking for help with eating disorders is up.

The Eating Disorder Foundation in Denver says they've seen a 1,030% increase in new monthly support group members since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Health officials say the isolated environments during the pandemic made it worst for those struggling with eating disorders

Marissa Campbell, a registered dietician who leads support groups for the  Eating Disorder Foundation in the Colorado Springs area, says she now has a waiting list for appointments, something she did not have a month ago.

"I have so many teens right now that start their story with, 'Well covid happened and then...'" Campbell said.

Eating disorders, like anorexia, bulimia, or binge-eating cause people to obsess about weight and what they eat. Officials say it's a psychiatric disorder that largely affects teenage girls, but not exclusively. 

According to the National Eating Disorder Association, between 0.3%-0.4% of young women and 0.1% of young men suffer from anorexia nervosa at any given time.

"Right now, a lot of people have waiting lists because of how prevalent this issue is right now," said Campbell.

She says 90 percent of her patients are dealing with an eating disorder.

"I think a lot of people are struggling with depression and anxiety, and a lot of time those go hand in hand with eating disorders and feed off each other," said Campbell.

With seeing a rise in teen patients in her office, she says the lack of social outlets teens had during the pandemic allowed eating disorders to thrive.

"Missing that connection within the school had a huge impact on them, and getting on social media as an outlet isn't super helpful," said Campbell.

According to Campbell, one of the biggest misconceptions about eating disorders is that these disorders have a specific look to them, that people struggling with an eating disorder have to look a certain way.

"The biggest misconception is that eating disorders have a look and that is definitely not true. I see people from all body shapes and sizes, weights," said Campbell.

Health officials say eating disorders can start slowly, and get worse without treatment, which is why support groups are key when medical help is hard to reach.

The Eating Disorder Foundation hosts support groups online every week. It's something that the organization felt has been helpful since the start of the pandemic. While every virtual session continues to reach capacity, TEDF provides other resources.

For more information on virtual support groups and other resources, head over to their website.

For more information on NEDA, click here.