The increased morbidity of anorexia during the COVID-19 pandemic -- a
psychoanalytic perspective.
Abstract
During the Covid-19 pandemic, the morbidity of anorexia increased both
in its scope and in its severity. Research conducted thus far, has
raised questions regarding the unique influences that the pandemic
imposed on individuals with anorexia and those at risk for developing
it. This opinion article offers a psychoanalytic understanding for the
increased morbidity of anorexia following the outbreak of COVID-19. It
argues that the encounter between an external reality saturated with
restrictions and prohibitions and the anorexic internal reality
intensified the anorexic symptomology. The authors present explanations
regarding the ways in which the pandemic undermined the anorexic
defenses and contributed to the increase of anorexia. They conclude that
COVID-19 has led to the exacerbation of anorexia through employment of
two key defense mechanisms of anorexia, which are: 1. Implementation of
prohibitions, reductions, and restrictions. 2. Having an omnipotent
sense of self, in which the body is regarded as controllable.