Teen Girls Eat and Behave More Abnormally During the Pandemic

Teen girls visiting the weekly emergency department for tic disorders tripled and for eating disorders doubled during the pandemic, according to a report recently published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). “Though eating disorders were on the rise even before the pandemic, a very significant acceleration of this trend was seen during the pandemic,” notes Cynthia Flynn, Ph.D., clinical assistant professor, and adolescent psychologist at Seattle Children’s and the University of Washington.

Apart from a pandemic, there are many other related factors. School closures and anxiety centered around the pandemic increased the exposure to social media, which may be a possible factor that contributed to the increase in eating disorders.

Adding to that, Tic disorders, which are typically very rare in girls, are becoming more and more common among this demographic.

Usually, tic disorders begin earlier in childhood and are more prevalent among males. But the pandemic-related stress or exposure to more social media platforms might be associated with increases in visits with tics and tic-like behavior among teen girls.

Teens who have been previously diagnosed with anxiety or depression may be more susceptible to developing tic-like behaviors. In some cases, physical symptoms of stress can manifest in a manner that a patient has seen exhibited in another person.

Historically, these phenomena were previously seen in those living in the same location. But the widespread access to social media has created a much more diffuse outbreak that isn’t location-specific.

Early intervention is key for both eating disorders and tic disorders, and seeking medical treatment and mental health therapy for any new symptoms or concerns you may have about your teen’s behavior is the first step.

Excessive changes in eating habits, skipping meals, excessive exercise, and more isolated behavior related to food and eating are the signs of eating disorders.

Repeated nose wrinkling, eye blinking, shoulder shrugging or kicking, skipping, jumping along with repeated words and phrases, animal sounds, yelling are the symptoms of tic disorders.

If you’re concerned about their social media use in general, establishing an agreed-upon device use policy may help, as can taking regular social media breaks and blocking certain types of pro-eating disorder content and tic-focused content on social media.



Source-Medindia