Government announces new community services, but no commitment given on additional specialist beds
More than 500 people in Ireland were diagnosed with an eating disorder last year – over 100 cases more than in 2023.
New figures from the HSE showed that there were 894 referrals for treatment in 2024, a 33 per cent increase on the previous year. More than half of referrals (55 per cent) came from mental health services, while around one-third (34 per cent) came from GPs.
A total of 410 eating disorder patients started treatment last year, with 358 of these receiving evidence-based therapies.
In total, 503 people were identified as having an eating disorder in 2024,…