The summer holidays are a change in routine and can be trickier for some young people to maintain their mental wellbeing, which can leave space for difficult feelings to resurface about their eating habits and body image. there can be an increase in issues about body image, exacerbating eating disorders. 

An eating disorder is a mental health condition where the control of food is used to cope with feelings and other situations. Unhealthy eating behaviours may include eating too much or too little or worrying about weight or body shape. Anyone can get an eating disorder, but teenagers and young adults are mostly affected. With treatment, most people can recover from an eating disorder.

Dr Susie Greenwood, NELFT Clinical Lead on eating disorders spoke on Heart Radio about support available for young people with eating disorders. 

She said: “There is a strong link between social media and body image issues in young people. There is a lot of interest now in following posts in what people eat in a day or hearing about different exercise regimes. A lot of content can give an impression that there is a right way to look, a right way to eat, a right way to exercise.” 

Dr Greenwood also spoke about the symptoms of eating disorders, warning signs to look out for and support available. 

Symptoms of eating disorders include:

• spending a lot of time worrying about weight and body shape
• avoiding socialising when food will be involved
• eating very little food
• making themselves sick or taking laxatives after eating
• exercising too much
• having very strict habits or routines around food
• changes in mood, such as being withdrawn, anxious or depressed

Warning signs to look out for include:

• dramatic weight loss
• lying about how much they've eaten, when they've eaten, or their weight
• eating a lot of food very fast
• going to the bathroom a lot after eating
• exercising a lot
• avoiding eating with others
• cutting food into small pieces or eating very slowly
• wearing loose or baggy clothes to hide their weight loss

How to get support for you or a loved one:

If you think you have an eating disorder, see a GP as soon as you can. You can also talk in confidence to an adviser from eating disorders charity Beat by calling the Beat helpline on 0808 801 0677.

If you are worried that someone has an eating disorder, let them know and encourage them to see a GP. You could offer to go along with them. Support for young people, caregivers and professionals is also available on the Be Body Positive website https://bebodypositive.org.uk/