Cost of eating disorders is ‘tip of the iceberg’, researchers say

Article content

The unprecedented rise in eating disorders in children and youth during COVID-19 cost the Canadian health system at least $39.5 million during the first two years of the pandemic, according to research led by the Research Institute CHEO.

But the study’s authors admit that figure is a “gross underestimation” of the true cost of psychiatric illnesses to society and individuals.

Article content

Article content

In fact, Nicole Obeid, a scientist and director of the Eating Disorders Research Laboratory at CHEO Research Institute, said she and other researchers involved in the study were surprised the number was not higher, given the increase in demand. of treatment that is observed throughout the country.

“We were shocked. When we thought about the increase we were seeing, we felt like the numbers should have been higher,” he said. “It’s really just the tip of the iceberg.”

He said the fact that available data does not fully reflect the extent of the crisis in Canada means it is not fully understood, hampering innovation and improvement in treatment.

“We can’t manage what we can’t measure,” he said.

This is something echoed by 17-year-old Bailey Curtin, who was first treated at CHEO for anorexia when she was just 11 years old.

Curtin, who now serves on CHEO’s youth forum, said she is concerned that the lack of data reflects the lack of research on eating disorders.

“If science is apathetic towards (people with eating disorders), then the world will also be apathetic towards us. I think it starts with science. “If we don’t see that research is important, then we don’t see that anything else is important, like treatment,” Curtin said.

Article content

“Science has to catch up.”

The number of people (especially children and young people) seeking treatment for eating disorders increased dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was a period of increased financial stress, isolation and anxiety, all of which are known to contribute to mental health disorders, the study authors say.

Between 2020 and 2022, there was a 126 per cent increase in emergency department visits for eating disorders across Canada and a 60 per cent increase in related hospitalizations, compared to a year before COVID-19.

CHEO was one of the pediatric health institutions that experienced large increases in the number of children and young people requiring treatment and sometimes prolonged hospital stays for eating disorders.

The Deloitte Access Economics report on the cost of eating disorders, led by the CHEO Research Institute and academic and healthcare partners across the country, is the first of its kind to shed light on the costs of eating disorders to the Canadian health system during the pandemic. .

But due to a lack of data on eating disorders, not all components of the cost of care were included in that report. Among the missing pieces is the cost of standard eating disorder treatment programs, such as day hospital programs and community services. Demand for those community services more than doubled during the first two years of the pandemic.

Article content

The Deloitte report grossly underestimates the societal cost of eating disorders, Obeid said. The lack of data reflects the inability of researchers and health officials to fully understand the impact of eating disorders and make changes to the health system to better address them.

There is an urgent need to develop a robust eating disorder surveillance system in Canada “to ensure we are adequately capturing changing needs in services and costs so we can better manage eating disorder care,” she said.

That will be the focus of a meeting in Ottawa on Thursday. Research and health leaders, policymakers and people with lived experience will review the report and work on a national surveillance strategy.

An expert from Australia will talk about how better surveillance and data, among other things, allowed the country to transform the way it treats and addresses eating disorders, Obeid said.

“They’ve made massive changes to their system for eating disorders,” she said.

That includes strengthening the workforce and adding training, as well as more accessible eating disorder care in the community.

Article content

“If we don’t have the numbers, we don’t even have an advantage to say that many Canadians are struggling with eating disorders or are in treatment,” Obeid said.

A recent international study found that among young people approximately one in five has some level of eating disorders.

With high rates of mortality and comorbidity (related illnesses), the burden of eating disorders can be compared to the opioid crisis, Obeid said.

“We believe that many young people are struggling. “Eating disorders are very prevalent, have a high mortality rate and a lot of comorbidity and are difficult to treat if they are not detected in time,” she stated.

“We have a lot of work to do in the field.”

Our website is your destination for the latest news, so be sure to bookmark our homepage and Subscribe to our newsletters so we can keep you informed.

Article content