Lots of young people worry about how they look and their body and weight. However, sometimes this can start to take over day-to-day life.

If someone has an eating disorder, they may focus excessively on their weight and shape which leads them to make unhealthy choices about food which damages their health.

Eating disorders include a range of conditions that can affect someone physically, psychologically and socially. These could include 

Anorexia nervosa
People with anorexia have an intense fear of being fat and tend to go to great lengths to avoid eating fattening foods and to lose weight. This might include exercising too much and making themselves sick. This is usually because they feel they are too fat, even when they look very thin to other people.
 

Binge eating disorder (BED)
People with BED may eat large amounts of food in a short period of time. This might not be at a normal meal time and is often while they are alone. They feel a lack of control during these binges.

Unlike someone with bulimia (see below), the person does not try to get rid of the food. They may feel their eating is out of control, eat an unusually large amount of food, eat more quickly in binges, eat until uncomfortably full or eat large amounts of food when they are not hungry.


Bulimia nervosa
People with bulimia binge (eat a lot) and then purge (get rid of it) by vomiting, fasting, using laxatives or over-exercising in order to stop gaining weight.


Why do people have eating disorders?
Eating disorders are often associated with the social pressure to be thin and look a certain way but the causes of eating disorders are usually more complex. An eating disorder may be linked to biological, genetic or environmental factors combined with a particular event that triggers the disorder. They may also be other factors.


Can eating disorders be treated?
Treatment for eating disorders is available and recovery can take a long time. Treatment usually involves monitoring a person’s physical health while helping them deal with the underlying psychological causes.

If an eating disorder isn’t treated then it can have a negative impact on someone’s health, their schoolwork, and can disrupt relationships with family and friends.

Information and tools to support you

  • Beat: Beat is a charity that provides information about and support for people with eating disorders
  • ChildLine: a free and confidential support service for children and young people (telephone 0800 1111)

How to get help and support

If you’re worried about any of the above, talk to your GP.   Your GP will do some physical observations such as height and weight, and also discuss your emotional and mental health and wellbeing. Our GP may feel a referral to CAMHS will be useful also. 

Our Community Eating Disorders Service for Children and Young People offers help and support to children and young people aged 17 and under living in Central and North London who have a suspected or confirmed eating disorder diagnosis. This includes children and young people who are seeking advice, consultation and support.


“It felt like a lonely situation to be in as it feels as though nobody understands what you are going through. At the start one of the most difficult things was admitting that I had a problem as friends and family were starting to get increasingly worried.”
- Anon