By Marianne Storey, CEO, Dorset Mind

EATING disorders are not a choice and they are not about food. They are serious, complex, psychological illnesses that require dedicated medical supervision from a GP and talking therapies such as one-to-one counselling, psychotherapy and support groups.

Eating disorders can include binge eating, dramatic loss of appetite, body image obsession, fear of gaining weight, perfectionism, dramatic weight gain, purging (being sick), strict dieting, social isolation, taking appetite suppressants and over exercising. Many eating disorder patients also have other psychological difficulties or disorders such as anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder or personality disorders, (The Royal College of Psychiatrists, 2018).

Mental health advisor, author, speaker and educator, Dr Pooky Knightsmith, said: “When supporting someone with an eating disorder, it’s important that we look beyond the surface and don’t become entirely hung up on food, weight and exercise.

"Eating disorders are about so much more than that. Unhealthy food, weight and exercise behaviours are a symptom of a serious mental illness and it is only by supporting the person as a whole that we can help to support long-term recovery. In the short term we can take steps to encourage someone to a healthy weight and to engage with healthy eating and exercise behaviours; but if we don’t consider the underlying issues driving the illness, it’s unlikely that these gains will be sustained.

“Eating disorders are complex and recovery is a careful interplay of treating the physical and the psychological elements of the illness – these two must go hand in hand to ensure the short-term safety and the long-term recovery of the person concerned.”

There are many types of eating disorders, but the most common are anorexia (obsessed with low weight), bulimia (compulsively purging) and binge eating disorder (excessively eating in short time frames), with others falling under a category called OSFED (Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder).

1.6 million people in the UK are affected by an eating disorder

Family and friends may or may not even be aware that someone has an eating disorder. It’s not uncommon for someone who lives with Bulimia or Anorexia for example, to have developed coping strategies that have allowed them to keep their eating disorder hidden for many years. They may look a ‘normal weight’, but there are characteristics that are visible like poor dental hygiene, red or bloodshot eyes, puffy face, marks on the knuckles and anxiety around eating and over-exercising.

Anorexia has the highest mortality rate than any other mental health condition in the UK. Dorset Mind Ambassador Craig Eldridge has lived experience of anorexia. He comments, “Remember that life is about taking little steps and there will be days where you slip up, but that’s okay. View each day for what it is and what you could achieve, like eating something extra that you couldn’t normally, or eating less food to cope with stress. You might surprise yourself.”

Dorset Mind provides eating disorder support groups, one-to-one counselling or psychotherapy, 8-week CBT mentoring, carer’s support, workplace training and coaching, and specialist school programmes. For more information, please visit: https://dorsetmind.uk/services-courses/restored-eating-disorders-services/.

Gentle exercise that doesn’t become self-harm like yoga or Pilates is known for alleviating mental health strains for people that live with an eating disorder. Why not do some form of moderate activity and sign up to RED January with Dorset Mind and help raise funds to run local mental health services that support your community? https://dorsetmind.uk/red-january-2019-registration/