DUBLIN, Ireland: The number of children admitted to hospitals with eating disorders in Ireland has doubled in just five years, according to new figures from the Health Research Board (HRB).

Between 2018 and 2022, more than 1,500 children under the age of 18 required hospital care for eating disorders. Annual admissions rose from 170 cases in 2018 to 375 in 2022, with a dramatic spike of 538 admissions in 2021, during the height of COVID-19 lockdowns.

Eating disorder recovery specialist Dr. Kielty Oberlin said the trend was concerning but not unexpected. "In a way, it's a relief—here are the numbers to validate what, on a clinical level, I'm experiencing," she told Newstalk. "People are desperate. They're looking for help, and the resources just aren't out there."

The data shows that anorexia nervosa is the most common diagnosis among young people in psychiatric hospitals, accounting for 91 percent of 370 admissions. In acute hospitals, nine in ten admissions were female, with the average age of patients around 13 years old. For psychiatric admissions, 95 percent were girls, with an average age of just over 15.

Experts warn that eating disorders in boys and men are frequently underdiagnosed. Harriet Parson, chief executive of the support organisation Bodywhys, said official figures underestimate the problem. "About 10 percent of people with an eating disorder recorded are male. In reality, it's closer to 25 percent," she explained. "That means, absolutely, men with eating disorders are still going unrecognised."

Overall, more than 6,400 child admissions were recorded for mental and behavioural disorders during the five years, with eating disorders making up nearly one-quarter of all cases.