It's Eating Disorder Awareness Week and charities, campaigners, and activists are educating people about the reality of eating disorders.
Eating disorders seriously impact your mental and physical health as well as your ability to function.
The devastating illness leads to dangerous eating behaviours, and while symptoms can vary, risk factors include depression, anxiety and wide-ranging complications.
The most common eating disorders are anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorder.
An estimated 1.25 million people in the UK have an eating disorder and about a quarter of them are male, according to the eating disorder charity Beat.
The NHS says you can develop an eating disorder at any age, but they most often emerge in teens and young adults.
Different eating disorders
According to the NHS, the most common eating disorders are:
- Anorexia nervosa – trying to control your weight by not eating enough food, exercising too much, or doing both
- Bulimia – losing control over how much you eat and then taking drastic action to not put on weight
- Binge eating disorder (BED) – eating large portions of food until you feel uncomfortably full
Also, other specified feeding or eating disorder (OSFED) is when symptoms don't exactly fit other disorders - and it is the most common eating disorder.
Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) is when someone avoids certain foods, limits how much they eat, or does both.
Eating disorder symptoms
Symptoms for eating disorders can vary depending on the type of disorder, but the NHS has outlined the following symptoms:
- Spending a lot of time worrying about your weight and body shape
- Avoiding socialising when you think food will be involved
- Eating very little food
- Making yourself sick or taking laxatives after you eat
- Exercising too much
- Having very strict habits or routines around food
- Changes in your mood such as being withdrawn, anxious or depressed
You may also notice physical signs, including:
- Feeling cold, tired or dizzy
- Pains, tingling or numbness in your arms and legs (poor circulation)
- Feeling your heart racing, fainting or feeling faint
- Problems with your digestion, such as bloating, constipation or diarrhoea
- Your weight being very high or very low for someone of your age and height
- Not getting your period or other delayed signs of puberty
Where to get help
If you or someone else is in need of urgent help, please contact 999 or the Samaritans on 116 123.
Beat's helplines are open 365 days of the year from 9am to 4pm on weekdays and 4pm to midnight on weekends.
Their number in Scotland is 0808 801 0432, 0808 801 0677 in England, 0808 801 0433 in Wales, and 0808 801 0434 in Northern Ireland.
You can also speak to someone at Beat in a one-to-one chat online.
