Teens are being hospitalized with eating disorders at double the rate since the pandemic began, report says

Across the country, there's been a spike in adolescents seeking treatment for eating disorders during the pandemic, new data suggest.

"We sort of look at it like a second pandemic, the mental-health needs in adolescents," Dr. Tracy Richmond, director of the eating-disorder program at Boston Children's Hospital, told The Wall Street Journal, "and eating disorders is part of that."

Rates of patients hospitalized with eating disorders more than tripled at Boston Children's Hospital, according to Richmond, with some patients having lost up to 50% of their body weight. This spike in treatment occurred in the outpatient setting, too, as some weeks had 23 case reviews, up from a weekly average of six.

Young, white women have typically been diagnosed with eating disorders pre-pandemic, but Richardson said she's seen a rise in young men and minorities, too.