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.