According to both Sahlgrenska and the national association Frisk & fri, which works against eating disorders, it is tough for eating disorder patients during the pandemic.
20-year-old Rebecca, who is ill with anorexia, says she understands that the pandemic can be stressful.
- I think that the preoccupation with food, weight, body and exercise becomes much greater when you have so much time at home.
When you go to work or school, you have employment all the time, she says.
"Please, I guess it's just eating"
- You might think that "please it's just to eat, it can not be that very difficult, it's just to take that bun and eat" but it does not work that way.
It really is such an anxiety you have all the time, says Rebecca.
According to Frisk och fri, the national association against eating disorders, conversations with them have increased during the pandemic.
They say that patients who hear from them also feel worse.
Even in healthcare, it is noticeable that the pandemic makes it more difficult for patients to recover.
- That is what happens when you do not have the structure, the distraction and the motivating factors.
The eating disorder takes up more space, says Anne-Line Solberg, unit manager for anorexia and bulimia activities for children and young adults at Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg.
Want to get well
For Rebecca, the disease is not over, but she wants to tell others to show how severe the disease can be.
Now at the beginning of the year she will continue to receive care.
Her goal is clear - to get well.
- I know I'm coming, it's not something I think.
It is possible to recover from an eating disorder, she says.
Hear Rebecca tell more in the clip above.