Hospitalizations for eating disorders and other mental, behavioral, and neurodevelopmental disorders before and during COVID-19 in Canada

Abstract

Purpose: We assessed hospital admission rates for anorexia nervosa (AN)/atypical AN (AAN) relative to other mental, behavioral, and neurodevelopmental disorders across age groups before and 1-year postpandemic onset. Methods: Using the Canadian Discharge Abstracts Database, we analyzed admissions for AN/AAN and mental, behavioral, and neurodevelopmental disorders in ages 10–84-year-olds, grouped into 10–24, 25–44, and 45+ year olds. Data spanned fiscal years (FY) 2006–2021. Results: AN/AAN admissions increased in the 10–24-year-old group, while remaining stable in older age groups. In FY2019, AN/AAN constituted 2.6% (95% confidence interval 2.4–2.8) of psychiatric admissions, increasing to 4.1% (95% confidence interval 3.9–4.3) in FY2020. Odds ratio for FY2019-FY2020 hospitalizations in 10–24 group was 1.61 (p < .0001), 25–44 was 1.15 (p = .31), and 45+ was 0.61 (p = .03). Discussion: AN/AAN admissions surged among 10–24 year-olds during the pandemic's onset, underscoring the need for early interventions and preparedness to support adolescents and young adults with AN/AAN.

Rights

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

Cite as

Downloadable citations

Identifiers

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2024.09.027

Repository URI

https://www.research.ed.ac.uk/en/publications/5af91fd2-4115-425f-98e8-af2dac52e2f6