These pages were created by Beat to inform students when researching and looking for information around eating disorders. If you work in the media or for a student newspaper or radio please get in touch with our press office by emailing media@b-eat.co.uk or call 0300 123 7061.
1.6 million people in the UK are affected by eating disorders. Eating disorders are not a diet gone wrong or a fad or fashion – someone doesn’t ‘choose’ to have an eating disorder; they’re serious mental illnesses which are often a way of coping with difficult thoughts, emotion or experiences. Although we know many people make a full recovery from their eating disorder, 1 in 5 of those affected by an eating disorder will die prematurely – the highest mortality rate of any mental illness.
In this document we’ll outline briefly anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder all of which are diagnosable as eating disorders in their own right. Eating disorders are complex mental illnesses which are multi-factorial – with no one sole cause. We know now that there are more biological and genetic factors than we ever thought before but socio-cultural influences also play their part – the media, peer pressure, bereavement, academic pressure etc. may play a part in the development of an eating disorder but also trigger its return.
Anorexia
Although it is typically the most known, most likely due to it’s prevalence in the media due to its nature to ‘shock’, anorexia nervosa is actually the rarest of eating disorders – only 10% of people with an eating disorder will be diagnosed with anorexia nervosa. Typically this eating disorder affects those between the ages of 12-20 and it is estimated that around 15% of sufferers are male.
Although you cannot tell by looking at somebody that they have an eating disorder, individuals with anorexia nervosa do not maintain or have a body weight that is normal or expected for their age and height. Generally, this means that a person is less than 85% of their expected body weight.
Even when underweight, individuals with anorexia continue to be fearful of weight gain. Their thoughts and feelings about their size and shape have a profound impact on their sense of selfesteem as well as their relationships. They often do not recognise or admit the seriousness of their weight loss and deny that it might have permanent adverse health consequences. Women with anorexia nervosa often stop having their periods (amenorrhea) and develop osteoporosis.
The earlier help is sought the better the long term prognosis so a visit to the GP in the first instance is essential. The GP will then assess the patient and refer them to specialist help which can include counselling. There are various therapies used in treating an eating disorder and cognitive behavioural therapy is recognised as one of the more effective.
Over a 10-year period, about half of people with anorexia nervosa recover fully, a small percentage continue to suffer from anorexia nervosa, and the rest develop other eating disorders. Even among those individuals who recover from an eating disorder, it is common for them to continue to maintain a low body weight and experience depression.

These pages were created by Beat to inform students when researching and looking for information around eating disorders. If you work in the media or for a student newspaper or radio please get in touch with our press office by emailing media@b-eat.co.uk or call 0300 123 7061.
Anorexia warning signs:
 Mood swings – personality changes and mood swings are often experienced: these can be far more extreme and unpredictable than normal teenage moodiness



Eating habits – rigid or obsessive eating habits – cutting food into tiny pieces and refusing to eat in front of anyone except close family members
Clothing – many layers of loose baggy clothing both hide weight loss and keep the sufferer warm
Vomiting/laxative use – these are signs of anorexia as well as bulimia
 Exercise – excessive exercise to prevent weight gain at the very least and sometimes to induce further weight loss
Restlessness and hyperactivity 
Bulimia
Bulimia nervosa affects around 40% of all those affected by eating disorders. More common than anorexia nervosa, bulimia is often a psychiatric condition which goes unnoticed for a considerable time because the individual generally remains an average weight. Bulimia can also have serious long term health consequences.
Bulimia nervosa is also often a coping mechanism for an individual when events seem to be taking over their lives or they are experiencing difficult thoughts, emotions or experiences.
The age range most typically affected by bulimia nervosa is slightly older than anorexia, between 18-25, although we are seeing younger people affected by the illness.
Bulimia sees a trend of becoming involved in a cycle of eating a very large amount of food, purging through vomiting or laxatives and cutting down, starving for a few days or finding other ways to make up for the food you have eaten. This often means that the individual becomes so hungry they eat large amounts of food because the body craves nourishment.
Although bulimia does not cause the extreme weight loss like anorexia, it does not mean it is any less serious. Secondary effects can see the stomach lining and teeth damaged through purging and laxative use can be extremely dangerous.
Bulimia warning signs:



Consuming vast quantities of food
Frequent weight changes
Swollen glands and feed



Lethargy and tiredness
Secrecy, mood swings and a reluctance to socialise (especially avoiding meals)
Shoplifting or spending abnormal amounts of money on food, hoarding foods away from family cupboards or housemates


Obsessional around food
Anxiety, depression, low self-esteem

These pages were created by Beat to inform students when researching and looking for information around eating disorders. If you work in the media or for a student newspaper or radio please get in touch with our press office by emailing media@b-eat.co.uk or call 0300 123 7061.
Binge Eating Disorder (BED)
Binge eating disorder was the latest addition to the DSM-5, the Diagnostic Statistic Manual, a US document laying out the criteria for diagnosing eating disorders qualifying BED as an eating disorder in its own right. This has been hugely influential in the USA as those suffering from BED were previously unable to claim the cost of the treatment on their health insurance.
It is estimated that around 2% of the adult population in the UK suffer from binge eating disorder and generally it affects the population later in life than anorexia and bulimia - it is most common in individuals in their 30s and 40s.
Binge eating shares some of the characteristics of bulimia but the essential difference is that the sufferer binges uncontrollably but does not purge, or compensate for the food in other ways.
Binge eating disorder is again a way to cope with things that might be going on in the individuals’ lives, using food as comfort or as a way to escape difficult underlying feelings.
Binge eating warning signs:


Stomach pains
Poor skin and hair


Eating much more rapidly than usual
Eating when not hungry






Eating alone
Feeling out of control around food
Low confidence and self-esteem
High blood pressure and high cholesterol
Obesity, diabetes, heart disease
Shoplifting