The number of hospital admissions for eating disorders has risen by 16 per cent, with officials warning of a “small but significant” increase in children needing hospital care for the disorders.
Provisional data published by the NHS Information Centre show there were 2,288 admissions for eating disorders between July 2011 and June 2012, up from 1,973 admissions in the previous twelve months.
Young people aged 10 to 19 accounted for over half of the admissions (55 per cent), up from 49 per cent the previous year. The largest number of admissions were for 15-year-old girls, who made up 10 per cent of the total admissions.
The majority of admissions (74 per cent) were linked to anorexia. Seven per cent of admissions were for bulimia and 19 per cent were for other eating disorders.
A quarter of those admitted were discharged on the same day. Five per cent, spent at least six months as in-patients.
Tim Straughan, chief executive of the NHS Information Centre, said: “The data points to a relatively small but nevertheless significant rise in child admissions for the treatment of an eating disorder.”
Lucie Russell, Director of campaigns at mental health charity YoungMinds, said:
“It is vital that these problems are identified early before they become entrenched. We must make sure there are accessible places where children and young people can go to talk to about the struggles they are facing and specialist resources available as soon as they are needed.”
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