Published on: 28 February 2022
Today marks the first day of Eating Disorders Awareness Week (28 February to 6 March 2022), an annual awareness week aimed to challenge myths and misunderstandings around eating disorders.
According to the charity Beat, around 1.25 million people in the UK have an eating disorder, which are serious mental illnesses affecting a range of people, regardless of their ages, genders, ethnicities, or backgrounds.
Some common examples of eating disorders may include avoiding or being restrictive with food (ARFID), bulimia, binge eating disorder, and anorexia.
Eating disorders are not always related to food, it is more about how a person is feeling. This #EatingDisordersAwarenessWeek2022, Derbyshire Healthcare aims to raise awareness of speaking out and seeking help.
Lianne and Amy explain their experience of living with an eating disorder and highlight the importance of talking to others about their feelings.
Lianne’s story
“I’d often had thoughts about how I didn’t look very nice, but I only started restricting my eating when I was stressed with my exams. I began constantly thinking about food and feeling guilty if I missed a day of exercise. My mum and my two closest friends told me I didn’t look well, but I didn’t think anything was wrong.
“Then I started having side-effects: my legs went numb, and I couldn’t walk very well. When the doctor said it was because I wasn’t eating enough, that was a big turning point – I thought, ‘If I can’t walk, that can’t be right.’
“For me, my eating disorder came out of never feeling good enough. My message to others is you are good enough. If you stop eating this won’t make you happy – it will only continue to damage your body and mind.”
Amy’s story
“I felt lonely and inadequate next to the people around me and started to slowly reduce my food intake as an attempt to be in control. It became the focus of my thoughts and eating anything my mind deemed ‘unhealthy’ or ‘unnecessary’ led to painful guilt.
“Extreme exercise became a part of my routine even though I barely had the energy to walk. Friends and family were worried about my rapid weight loss and eventually, after struggling for so long, I was referred to the hospital with heart problems.
“My diagnosis of anorexia nervosa was a turning point and I realised that I had to fight to enjoy life again. My main regret is hiding my feelings for so long, and my advice is to be open about any frequent negative thoughts you have – there is local support to help you.”
Eating disorder warning signs can often be missed, such as rapid weight loss, complex relationships with food and excessive exercise are all usually misinterpreted as phases, health kicks or diets. The NHS website details some important warning signs to look out for.
While recovery may seem a lengthy process, eating disorders can be overcome with the right support. Derbyshire Healthcare offer a wide range of support to those with eating disorders from doctors, dietitians, nurses, therapists, and support workers.
If you, a friend or family member are struggling with eating, there is a variety of support that Derbyshire Healthcare provides for both adults and children:
It is important that local people can access support as quickly and easily as possible. Other services outside of Derbyshire Healthcare include Beat, First Steps Derbyshire, Mind, YoungMinds and FREED Beeches.
For more information on Eating Disorder Awareness week, please visit Beat.
