ArticleEuropean psychiatry : the journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists2025
The continuing impact of COVID-19 on eating disorder early intervention services in England: An investigation of referral numbers and presentation characteristics.
Article in European psychiatry : the journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- COVID-19-Related Stress and Adolescent Anorexia Nervosa: Early Detection, Similar Illness Course.The International journal of eating disorders · 2026Article
- "I can lose sight of my own well-being because I'm just so focused on them": a qualitative investigation of eating disorder clinicians' experiences in England.Journal of eating disorders · 2026Review
- Implementation Fidelity in Early Intervention for Eating Disorders-A Multisite Pilot Study.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Staying on course with early intervention for eating disorders: beware of dilution and drift. Comment on Downs, J. 'Redefining prevention and early intervention to include longstanding and severe eating disorders'.Journal of eating disorders · 2025Article
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
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Abstract
backgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic increased the incidence and burden of eating disorders (EDs) globally. First Episode Rapid Early Intervention for EDs (FREED) is a nationally implemented early intervention service model for young people (16-25 years) with EDs in England. This study evaluates the longer-term impact of the pandemic on presentations and service provision in FREED.
methodsData from January 2019 to September 2024 were analyzed, including three services with pre-, pandemic, and post-pandemic data (Sample 1), and 62 services with post-pandemic data (Sample 2), 32 of which also contributed data during the pandemic. Linear mixed models examined referral numbers, duration of untreated ED, diagnostic mix, average body mass index for anorexia nervosa, and wait times.
resultsIn the three services with pre-, pandemic, and post-pandemic data, referrals remained significantly higher post-pandemic compared to the pre-pandemic period. Across all services, post-pandemic referrals declined compared to the pandemic period. Consistently, anorexia nervosa diagnoses decreased, and the duration of untreated ED at presentation increased post-pandemic.
conclusionsThe COVID-19 pandemic has had lasting impacts on ED service provision in England. Sustained investment and national support are essential to ensure FREED services continue to meet the needs of young people with recent-onset EDs and to reduce the duration of untreated ED.
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