THE likelihood that you know someone close to you with an eating disorder has been highlighted this week during Eating Disorder Awareness Week.

Roughly one in 16 adults in Cumbria has an eating disorder, according to official statistics, as the campaign to support vulnerable people who suffer in silence builds.

Anorexia and bulimia are some of the most frequent eating disorders faced by people, however lesser known conditions such as binge eating and orthorexia, an obsession with eating healthily and avoiding specific foods, can be just as serious.

The awareness campaign hopes to shake off the stereotype that only skinny people are affected by eating disorders, with outward looking fit and healthy individuals often hiding troubles around what, when and how they eat.

The mental illness is also not just associated with women, with estimates suggesting any where between 10 and 25 per cent of all cases being male.

In Cumbria, 26,000 adults are believed to have an eating disorder, with 6,500 experiencing a "significant negative impact" because of it.

Strive for perfection

One 19-year-old girl from Barrow who developed anorexia when she was at school spoke to the Evening Mail about her experience.

She said: "I had always got As and A*s and one lunchtime I just forgot to eat because I was so busy with coursework.

"I didn't think it affected me and I got more work done so I started doing it more and more.

"I would skip my lunch at school. I started to associate hunger with getting things done and achievement.

"I wasn't crying out for help. When I did it nobody knew about it.

"It was just something I needed to do to get through the day.

"I was good at most subjects and I didn't know where my life was taking me or what career I wanted.

"Stopping myself from eating was the only thing I could control.

"It took me a long time to realise the eating problem wasn't the problem. It was my anxiety and my strive to be perfect that was the issue."

Community service

An estimated 725,000 people in the UK are affected by an eating disorder according to a report commissioned by the charity, Beat.

Weight loss and fluctuations are obvious signs of an eating disorder but others include a fear of becoming fat, distorted body image, excessive dieting and exercising, and constipation.

Recent developments to deal better with young people in Cumbria with eating disorders have been welcomed.

Cumbria Clinical Commissioning Group is setting up a children and young people's eating disorder service in the county, which will employ specialist staff to visit and treat young people in their homes.

The service is being funded by NHS England due to an additional £1m investment every year for the next five years.

Rising referrals

One of the biggest charities that helps people with eating disorders in Cumbria is Self-harm Awareness For All, which has a base at Heron House in Duke Street, Barrow.

Nicky Guest, a counsellor at SAFA, says the charity has seen a rise in the number of people with eating disorders referred to them for help through their talking therapies. 

She said: "One of the biggest obstacles for a person with an eating disorder is admitting to themselves and others that there is a problem and they may need medical and physiological intervention.

"Also to overcome society's acceptance of how we should look and find a way to be true and happy with ourselves, whatever our size or shape is.

"We all have a relationship with food, as we all need to eat.

"It's important for us to stay grounded so that we are able to work alongside our clients in their emotional distress.

"SAFA has seen an increase in referrals in eating disorders particularly in the Barrow and Kendal areas over the last year." 

Conversation

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