The cost of living crisis has changed our daily lives in numerous ways. For so many of us, it's permeated the small financial decisions we make – whether we opt to eat out or organise a home-cooked meal before a night out, whether we treat ourselves to that takeaway coffee or spa day with friends – as well as the larger ones, like holidays and where we feel we can afford to live.
The list, and overwhelming financial anxiety, goes on.
But the crisis hits much harder, and deeper, than that. For according to those suffering with disordered eating, the extra financial and mental stress that comes with living through times like these can lead to a relapse or worsening of their condition.
The way we eat and purchase food has changed across the board since the cost of living crisis began. Research carried out by Food Foundation found that 7.3 million adults had skipped a meal or struggled to obtain food in April 2022. The study also saw a 57% rise in the proportion of households cutting back on food or missing meals altogether over three months.
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The rising cost of buying basics like food and soft drinks is staggering. According to ONS, food and non-alcoholic drink price inflation rose by 16.5% in the 12 months to November 2022, the highest increase since 1977.
“The cost of living crisis could have a significant impact on those affected by eating disorders,” Tom Quinn, eating disorder charity Beat's director of external affairs tells GLAMOUR. "For instance, research indicates that financial difficulties can increase feelings of stress and anxiety, which can worsen eating disorder symptoms. Some research also suggests that adults with higher levels of food insecurity are more likely to experience eating disorder behaviours such as binge eating, restriction and worries about weight.
“The increasing costs of essentials like heating, travel and cooking could also increase anxiety and stress, which could make recovery more difficult,” he adds.
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Francesca, 35, has suffered with severe and enduring anorexia for 15 years, and has described to GLAMOUR the impact that the rising cost of food has had on how she feels and deals with her condition.
“My safe foods are expensive – there are certain foods I eat, and they have got more expensive,” she says. “I can’t change those foods, the anxiety is too much, so I’m in the situation of either letting my meal plan and hard work slip, or spending more money. Spending money on food is hard – [it makes me ask myself] ‘am I worth this?’. So it’s a real struggle.”
These issues can affect those currently suffering from an eating disorder, or those who are in recovery, according to Rebecca, 34, who has been discharged from treatment for anorexia nervosa since 2011.
“If you are in recovery and you find that you haven't got the money to buy the food that you normally do, you [might] start restricting [and] that can then trigger the eating disorder, and you could end up relapsing," Rebecca explains. "You've introduced the idea of restricting your intake unintentionally, purely because you can't afford to.”
The rising cost of living is a trigger of anxiety and depression for many people – two thirds (66%) of therapists say cost of living concerns are causing a decline in people's mental health, with around 1 in 4 (24%) of people who reported difficulty paying their energy bills also experiencing moderate to severe depressive symptoms.
For those suffering with disordered eating, or those who have done previously, this can also lead to falling into old habits in order to cope with their poor mental health.
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Rebecca explains that for her, a “default coping mechanism” for dealing with the anxiety that comes with the cost of living crisis is focusing on food and exercise: a means of control, when the wider political and financial climate feels completely out of control.
“Life feels so overwhelmingly terrifying with the cost of living crisis – one thing you can do is focus on food and weight,” she explains.
The trouble is, this focus can lead to an unhealthy overfocus on exercise and healthy eating. It may provide an escape from “the stress of anxiety of everything else” as Rebecca describes, but can also lead to relapsing into other disordered behaviour around diet and exercising.
Diminishing access to treatment for eating disorders due to the cost of living crisis is also having a huge impact on the mental health and condition of those with disordered eating, according to Phoebe, 29, who suffered from anorexia earlier in life and now works with young patients with eating disorders.
She stresses the importance of in-person treatment – from her own experiences – explaining that in a lot of cases, due to the cost of living crisis, “People either don't have the time or don't have the money to do it.”
“Eating disorders require a multidisciplinary approach to treatment, including the involvement of talking therapy, consultant psychiatrist, dietician etc within a specialist eating disorder team under community mental health services,” she says. "Even with free NHS treatment, there are still financial implications, such as travel costs and taking time away from work to attend appointments.
“With the financial crisis affecting the NHS and its capacity, more and more people have had to seek private treatment that is unfortunately not multidisciplinary, nor is it financially viable for many, especially on a long-term basis.”
Patients are also having to take multiple jobs and therefore feeling unable to commit to medical appointments. Caregivers and parents of patients may also feel too stretched with work or financial constraints to take them to important treatments, making relapse or delayed recovery more likely.
“These [appointments and treatments] are pretty basic pillars in eating disorder recovery and keeping people stable, staying out of hospital [and] managing mental health issues in general,” Phoebe explains, calling the current stretch between treatment availability and mental health crisis “a vicious circle” for sufferers.
The impact of the cost of living crisis on our quality of life has been undeniable – but there's another layer when it comes to recovering from or fighting an eating disorder. Francesca explains that going out for meals is part of “challenging” her condition, and not being able to afford to take this step forward is a big deal.
“My fiancé and I were starting to challenge the eating disorder by going out for meals – always safely orchestrated with strict instructions to the kitchen to make it ‘safe’ – but it’s now so expensive that it’s another recovery milestone that is easy to let slip,” she says.
So considering the impact of the cost of living crisis on so many parts of sufferers lives, what can be done to protect people from developing disordered eating habits, as well as those fighting their way through recovery? According to the experts, change must come from the top.
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“The Government must support every person during this crisis, including the 1.25 million people in the UK with an eating disorder,” Tom Quinn, eating disorder charity Beat's director of external affairs tells GLAMOUR.
Funding and prioritising other means of support is key. “To ensure that every person can access eating disorder support, we urge the Government to ensure enough funding and staffing is available for eating disorder services across the UK,” Tom adds, highlighting the importance of healthcare professionals understanding the best ways to give eating disorder patients the best possible care during this difficult time.
“[The Government] must also work closely with professionals and experts by experience to understand how to best protect and support those with eating disorders.”
A DHSC spokesperson told GLAMOUR: “We are committed to improving eating disorder and mental health services, which is why we are investing almost £1 billion in community mental health care for adults with severe mental illness, including eating disorders, by 2024.
“We’re also providing an additional £54 million per year in children and young people's community eating disorder services to increase capacity of community eating disorder teams across the country.
“We are taking steps expand the number of practitioners who can deliver evidence based psychological interventions that are intended to treat those with an eating disorder.”
If you’re worried about your own or someone else’s health, you can contact Beat, the UK’s eating disorder charity, 365 days a year on 0808 801 0677 or beateatingdisorders.org.uk.
