Childhood Onset Eating Disorders - Actual diagnostic increase?

[Ceke2002]

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Or is this a case of diagnostic drift. Do you think there has actually been a real increase in the number of childhood onset cases of disorders like Anorexia Nervosa (just for clarification I'm using "age 10 or prior" as a classification of "childhood onset") or is it just the fact that the illness is being recognised more, ergo the increase in cases. If there has been an actual increase in cases, what do you think is driving it.

Just me being a curiosity cat as usual

 

[wolfvgang22]

I think that like Autistic Spectrum Disorder, it's not so much that there are a lot more cases as much as clinicians are diagnosing the disorders more in childhood and adolescence. This is speculation, though most child psychiatrists I know believe it. It's logical.
Like my residency program director used to say when I asked these kinds of questions: "Sounds like a great topic for you to research. You might even get it published!"

 

[Ceke2002]

I think that like Autistic Spectrum Disorder, it's not so much that there are a lot more cases as much as clinicians are diagnosing the disorders more in childhood and adolescence. This is speculation, though most child psychiatrists I know believe it. It's logical.
Like my residency program director used to say when I asked these kinds of questions: "Sounds like a great topic for you to research. You might even get it published!"

Thanks 🙂 I have actually been looking for some research articles on this topic, but haven't found anything that really matches so far. With NEDA week coming up shortly I'm actually considering doing a video on the experience of childhood onset anorexia, so it just got me thinking in general on the subject as well.