Raising Awareness of Eating Disorders and Support
Eating Disorder Awareness Week occurs every year to raise awareness and increase public knowledge on the condition that has a detrimental effect on people’s health and livelihood. Eating disorders are often misunderstood and campaigns aim to educate people and provide information on the services available to help people onto a safe recovery journey.
An eating disorder is a mental health conditions that can affect people of any demographic where people develop unhealthy eating habits influenced by emotions and body image concerns. Unfortunately, eating disorders are responsible for more deaths than any other mental health illness.
Reports suggest that roughly 1.25 million people in the UK suffer from an eating disorder, and around 75% of that number are female. Whilst all ages can be affected from it, it is most common amongst teenagers age 13-17.
Whilst there is no direct cause for it, eating disorders can occur due to a number of factors such as:
Genetic factors;
Family history in anxiety, depression and eating disorders
Changes in hormone levels
Changes in the brain
Environmental factors;
Peer pressure
Abuse
Relationship difficulties
Social expectations
Psychological factors;
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Controlling your emotions
Suffering with depression or anxiety
Stress
Fear of being overweight
There are different types of eating disorders, the three most common being:
Anorexia
Anorexia is a severe mental health condition. People with anorexia tend to under eat and over exercise, maintaining a low BMI in fear that they will become overweight. People who suffer from long-term anorexia can become severely ill and develop fertility issues. For a further overview of anorexia click here.
Bulimia
People who suffer from bulimia tend to overeat in a short amount of time and then make themselves vomit or use laxatives to remove the food from their body, in order to avoid gaining weight. Bulimia can cause dental, stomach and bone problems as well as leading to further serious health risks. For a further overview of Bulimia click here.
Binge eating
Binge eating disorder involves overeating at a fast pace until you are painfully full. Often binge eaters eat in secret and feel guilt and shame after they have eaten. Binge eating can lead to further mental health struggles such as depression, anxiety and low self-esteem. It can also lead to health problems, a few being obesity, type two diabetes and heart disease. For a further overview of Binge eating click here.
Even if your symptoms don’t typically match those of Anorexia, Bulimia and Binge eating, you could still be diagnosed with ‘other specified feeding or eating disorder’ (OSFED). The important thing is to seek the correct help to start a healthy recovery journey.
Supporting someone with an eating disorder can be very challenging. It can be hard to understand if you have not been through it yourself, and you can often feel upset and confused as to why someone you care about is causing harm to themselves. If you are worried about someone who you think is suffering, here is a few things you can do to support them:
Start a conversation with them; ask them about their thoughts and feelings
Be understanding, listen without judgement and don’t over offer advice
Encourage them to seek help from a medical professional
Go with them to appointments if they are anxious
Include them in activities; keeping them busy may help them focus on other things
Recovery is not a race, it takes time. Everyone’s recovery journey will be different. The important thing is that you get the help you need to ensure you are on a healthy recovery path that works for you. Below are a number of services in place in Cardiff that can offer support to you or anyone you know that is suffering with an eating disorder:
Children and young people:
Adults:
All ages: