'Height 155cm, Weight 26kg' Girl "Happy to See Bones on My Body"... Japanese Adolescents Refusing Meals

Significant Increase in Eating Disorders Since COVID-19

It has been revealed that 'eating disorders' are increasing among Japanese youth. Eating disorders are conditions where individuals are unable to consume food due to psychological issues. Local experts report that the number of people suffering from eating disorders has particularly increased since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Japanese local media CBC Television highlighted this issue on the 6th (local time), focusing on cases such as Yua Watanabe, who lives in Aichi Prefecture.

Currently 18 years old, Watanabe's height and weight are 155 cm and 26 kg, respectively. She is severely underweight, far below the average for her peers. Her appearance on camera shows her bones protruding sharply. The normal weight for a woman of 155 cm is generally known to be between 46 and 55 kg.

Watanabe Yuan, who is suffering from an eating disorder [Image source=CBC TV capture]

Watanabe, who has suffered from an eating disorder since elementary school, explained, "When I saw pictures of thin people, I thought, 'I shouldn't be like this.' I thought about how much to reduce my (weight) numbers like a game. I gradually became addicted to the pleasure I felt every time my weight decreased."

As her food intake drastically decreased, her health also deteriorated. Because of this, Watanabe reportedly had to be repeatedly admitted to and discharged from hospitals since middle school. During this process, her stress worsened, leading to emotional problems. Watanabe's mother expressed to the media, "It was painful to know that my elementary school child was at risk of life due to anorexia but unable to do anything to help."

The case of a woman in her 30s who has suffered from an eating disorder for 15 years was also reported. This woman is 158 cm tall and weighs 38 kg. Although she has improved compared to the past, she is still far below a normal weight. She recalled, "Even when I weighed 30 kg before, I still wanted to lose more weight. I thought it was ideal when my bones were visible, and I was happy when my bones showed."

When her weight dropped to a dangerously low level, she was unable to walk on her own or even muster the strength to put on or take off clothes. CBC Television reported that her body temperature once dropped below 34 degrees Celsius, putting her life at risk.

According to the Japanese Society for Eating Disorders, the number of teenage patients with eating disorders increased by more than 1.5 times between 2019 and 2020. CBC Television emphasized the seriousness by stating, "The pandemic situation caused difficulties in communication with friends and others, increasing stress, which triggered this. Eating disorders have a mortality rate of 5%, the highest among mental illnesses." It is estimated that there are about 240,000 patients with eating disorders in Japan currently.