Eating Disorders Awareness Week: support, early signs and how to get help
At least 1.25 million people in the UK are currently living with an eating disorder. Eating disorders can affect anyone, regardless of age, gender or background.
If you are worried about yourself or someone you care about, support is available:
- Speak to your GP to discuss your concerns
- Visit Beat Eating Disorders for advice and support
- Explore our Eating Disorder Service (for 18+) and Children and Young People's Community Eating Disorder Service webpages for guidance
Eating Disorders Awareness Week (23 February - 1 March) highlights the power of community and the vital role family, friends, and other support networks play in helping someone feel understood and never alone on their recovery journey. The theme was chosen by eating disorder charity Beat.
In Northamptonshire, our specialist Eating Disorder Service and Children and Young People's Community Eating Disorder Service support people aged 5 and above, along with their families and carers, to help them recover safely. Treatment is tailored to each person and may include individual or group therapy, family work, intensive home treatment and dietetic support.
What is an eating disorder?
Eating disorders are complex mental health illnesses affecting people of all ages, genders, ethnicities, body types and backgrounds.
They involve disordered eating behaviours, which may include:
- Restricting the amount of food eaten
- Eating large quantities of food in one go
- Trying to get rid of food through unhealthy behaviours (such as making yourself sick, misusing laxatives, fasting, or excessive exercise)
- A combination of these behaviours
People with disordered eating behaviours will not necessarily be diagnosed with an eating disorder. That doesn't mean they don't also need support or that it isn't serious. Disordered eating can lead to eating disorders over time if they are not addressed.
Eating disorders are not really about food, they're about feelings. They are never the fault of the person experiencing them, and everyone deserves compassionate support.
What do our patients say about our service?
People across Northamptonshire have benefited from our support:
Early warning signs
Changes in appearance are not always noticeable. Often, the earliest signs are changes in someone's behaviour or mood.
Warning signs of an eating disorder can vary from person to person, but they may include:
- Preoccupation with food
- Secretive behaviour around eating
- Feeling self-consciousness when eating in front of others
- Low self-esteem
- Irritability and mood swings
- Tiredness
- Withdrawing from social situations
- Feelings of shame, guilt or anxiety
- Worrying about weight or body shape
- Exercising excessively
- Going to the bathroom immediately after meals
Eating disorders can have serious health consequences. They can affect the heart, bones, digestive system, and other organs, and can even be life-threatening. With treatment and support, most people can recover from an eating disorder
Types of eating disorders
Many people have heard of Anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder, but there other serious eating disorders too:
- ARFID (avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder) - this is normally extreme avoidance or restriction of food which could be due to a lack of appetite, aversion of certain textures or feared consequence of eating (choking, vomiting)
- OSFED (Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder) - a person with OSFED could have some of the symptoms of other eating disorders but does not fit the criteria for a certain type of eating disorder. This is very common and just as dangerous as other eating disorders.
Eating disorders often develop as a way of coping with overwhelming emotions or difficult life experiences. When someone's relationship with food begins to cause distress or disrupt daily life, it's important to take it seriously.
Young people and the importance of early intervention
Early support can make a big difference. Please don't assume it's just a phase. Acting early helps young people break unhelpful patterns and move towards recovery.
Our Children and Young People's Community Eating Disorder Service works with children as young as 5 through to 18 years old, as well as their families, across Northamptonshire.
We can offer one-to-one support and small group workshops, both online and in person, so that every young person can access the type and level of care that best fits their individual needs.
The service also offers support and education to professionals in schools and youth counselling services across the county, helping them recognise early signs and respond with confidence.
Helpful tips for parents and carers
- Avoid labelling foods as good, bad, junk or fattening. Building a healthy relationship with food starts with making mealtimes positive, talk about flavours, explore new foods together, and encourage conversations about how eating makes you feel.
- Promote body positivity. The free NHS "Be Body Positive" online resource offers self guided modules for young people, families and professionals. Avoid comments or jokes about weight, shape or size, this helps young people build confidence and self-worth.
If a young person is struggling with disordered eating, reaching out for support early is key. Speak to your GP or school nurse and they can help you find the right support.
You can also find helpful information and resources for family, carers and loved ones on the Beat eating disorders website.
If you would like to register for an assessment, you can speak to your GP, or self-refer using the online form on our website.
With the right help, recovery is possible. Reaching out is the first step.