Hospitalizations for Eating Disorders and Other Mental, Behavioral, and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Before and During COVID-19 in Canada.

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.