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Eating Disorders

Overview

Eating disorders are a range of mental health conditions that affect someone physically, psychologically and socially. Eating disorders are not just about food, weight and body image but are a serious psychological illness where an unhealthy relationship with food or body image can be the outward expression of emotional turmoil. Various eating, restricting, binging and purging behaviours can become a distraction method or ways of coping with a person’s uncomfortable thoughts and feelings. Because of the often secretive nature of the illness, many people suffer for years without their illness being detected.

The most common eating disorders are Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, Binge Eating Disorder and Other Specified Feeding and Eating Disorders.

Although serious, eating disorders are treatable conditions and full recovery is possible. The number of children and young people with an eating disorder is on the rise and it is clinically proven that those suffering can recover faster when they are treated locally and as soon as possible. We can help to achieve this by raising awareness, building the resilience of our young people through sessions on body image ad self-esteem, and by being proactive in supporting someone experiencing difficulties.

Key Facts

  • It is estimated that over 725,000 people are affected by an eating disorder in the UK. Amongst those, nearly half suffer from binge eating disorder and other specified feeding and eating disorders, although anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa remain prominent. This information comes from a report by national charity Beat which also details the prevalent link between eating disorders and other conditions including depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, personality disorders and substance abuse.
  • As many as one if five of the most seriously affected with die prematurely as a result of the illness, making eating disorders the mental illnesses with the highest mortality rate.
  • 11% of those effected by EDs are male – this number is rising, and likely to be higher than it appears. Young women (aged 12-20) are a particularly at risk group.
  • 33% increase in the over 50s diagnosed with eating disorders.
  • Between February 2015 and January 2016 there were 2,703 finished admission episodes, a decrease of 8% from the previous year. The NHS claim that 76% of the admitted cases were for anorexia, 5% for bulimia and 19% for other eating disorders.
  • Worryingly, average waiting times for patients vary from 20 to 180 days depending on the trust, putting the lives of people seriously ill with eating disorders at risk.

Best Practice

  • All staff to be aware of the signs and symptoms of an eating disorder and feel confident about what to do if they are concerned about a young person.
  • Pupils with disordered eating or an eating disorder can spot the signs in themselves or their friends and will present themselves to a member of staff with whom they feel comfortable.
  • All staff should be aware of the schools process of sharing information about their concerns in order to ensure proper confidentially and privacy, and to prevent the young person having to explain themselves several times.
  • The school to consider developing an eating disorder policy to formally undertake preventative and early intervention strategies for Eating Disorders.

Resources

Beat is a national eating disorder charity with a helpline and youthline.

The South Yorkshire Eating Disorder Association website contains details of all of our services, recovery stories and information of how to self-refer.

Men Get Eating Disorders Too is a charitable organisation aiming to raise awareness of eating disorders in men.

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