Eating Disorders

What is an eating disorder?

An eating disorder is a mental health condition where you use the control of food to cope with feelings and other situations (NHS England).

Lots of people worry about the way they look and have tried going on a diet at some point. This does not mean they have an eating disorder. But if you notice someone is thinking a lot about food and how their body looks, feeling guilty about their eating or weight, trying to control what they eat, or being secretive about food, keep reading.

Eating disorders are serious and everyone who has one deserves care and support. They can take over a sufferers’ life and the lives of the people close to them.

There are different types of eating disorders:

• Anorexia Nervosa – a person with anorexia nervosa has a distorted body image and an exaggerated fear of becoming overweight/fat, so they deliberately try to lose weight by limiting what they eat, over-exercising and counting calories.
• Bulimia Nervosa -Eating a lot of food in a very short amount of time (binging) and then taking drastic action to get rid of the food from the body to avoid gaining weight, for example making yourself sick.
• Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) – Avoiding or restricting food intake due to sensory sensitivities, lack of interest in eating or fear of negative consequences (e.g. choking). It is not driven by body image concerns.
• Other types: Binge Eating Disorder, Eating Disorders Not Otherwise Specified (EDNOS).

Changes to look out for

You may notice certain changes if an individual is experiencing difficulties around their eating. These may include things like:

• Increased focus on body weight and shape. This could include increased conversations around weight and shape or avoidance of this topic.
• Avoiding eating with other people. The individual may take more responsibility than they previously did around food preparation.
• Rigidity with rules and routines around eating
• Changes to appearance, for example, choosing to wear baggy clothing.
• Increased levels of exercise.

Everyone is different and so eating disorders can differ from person to person, too. The good news is that recovery is possible and the sooner someone gets treatment the more likely it is they will be able to manage their eating better.

Take a look at this segment from ITV’s Loose Women, where Freddie Flintoff and Gok Wan talk about their experiences with bulimia and anorexia:

These are things that can really make a difference:

• Let them know they can talk to you and that you want to listen.
• Don’t comment on how their body looks. We might say something meaning to be kind, but for someone with an eating disorder a comment about their body can easily lead to difficult thoughts and feelings.
• Be aware many people will deny they have a problem with their eating and body image. The person you are concerned about may not realise they have a problem yet, or find it difficult to accept that they need help.
• There are many different types of treatment, depending on the nature of the eating disorder and the symptoms. Treatment can involve dietary advice as well as individual talking therapies, aimed at resolving underlying emotional difficulties.

The services at the bottom of this page can help.

This video from the NHS England Workforce shares insight from Jess Rann, a specialist eating disorders dietitian: