Children as young as five 'diagnosed with eating disorders'

It is not yet clear whether the increasing diagnoses of young children is as a result of more children developing eating disorders at a younger age or if an increased awareness of the possibility of eating disorders among children has led to earlier diagnoses. File picture: iStock

Children as young as five years old are being diagnosed with eating disorders, according to the Psychological Society of Ireland.

The number of children and adolescents presenting for inpatient treatment in mental health services has jumped from 33 in 2018 to 116 in 2021, according to the society. And it says among this cohort, eating disorder specialists are reporting an increase in the diagnoses of children with eating disorders - some as young as five or six years old.