What are eating disorders?
Eating disorders are mental health conditions that involve unhealthy thoughts, behaviours and feelings around food, eating, weight or body image.
They are not just about food, they can often be linked to:
- ✓ Coping with difficult emotions
- ✓ Feeling a need for control
- ✓ Low self-esteem or body image concerns
Eating disorders can affect anyone, regardless of age, gender or background, and early support can make a big difference to recovery.
What is disordered eating?
Not everyone who struggles with food will have a diagnosed eating disorder.
Disordered eating refers to a difficult or unhealthy relationship with food, which might include:
- ✓ Restricting food intake
- ✓ Overeating or comfort eating
- ✓ Using food to cope with emotions
- ✓ Feeling guilt, shame or anxiety around eating
Even without a diagnosis, these difficulties can still affect your mental health and deserve support.
Signs and symptoms
Thoughts and feelings
- ✓ Constantly thinking about food, weight or body shape
- ✓ Feeling anxious, guilty or ashamed about eating
- ✓ Low self-esteem or negative body image
- ✓ Feeling out of control around food
Behaviour and daily life
- ✓ Eating very little or avoiding certain foods
- ✓ Eating large amounts of food in a short time
- ✓ Exercising excessively
- ✓ Making yourself sick or using laxatives
- ✓ Avoiding social situations involving food
- ✓ Strict routines or rules around eating
Physical signs
- ✓ Feeling tired, cold or dizzy
- ✓ Changes in weight (higher or lower than expected)
- ✓ Stomach or digestive issues
- ✓ Fainting or feeling faint
- ✓ Difficulty concentrating
What may help
Support with eating difficulties often involves both practical strategies and professional support. Some small steps that may help:
- ✓ Talking to someone you trust
- ✓ Trying to maintain regular meals and routines
- ✓ Reducing isolation, staying connected where possible
- ✓ Being aware of unhelpful thoughts around food or body image
- ✓ Avoiding comparing yourself to others
The NHS highlights that recognising the problem early and asking for help is one of the most important steps.
Get help and support
Talk to someone - you don’t have to deal with this alone:
Support from Beat
Beat is the UK’s leading eating disorder charity and offers:
- ✓ Confidential helplines, webchat and email support
- ✓ Guidance on getting help
- ✓ Resources for understanding eating disorders and recovery
Access NHS support
You can:
- ✓ Speak to your GP
- ✓ Be referred for specialist eating disorder services
- ✓ Access talking therapies (e.g. CBT)
Eating disorders are treatable, and early intervention improves recovery outcomes.
Urgent support
If you are struggling to keep yourself safe or your physical health is at risk:
- ✓ Call 999
- ✓ Call NHS 111
- ✓ Contact Samaritans (116 123)