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More resources needed for eating disorders

6th June 2013 Print

A charity that operates helplines for people with eating disorders says that more resources need to be put into supporting teenagers and adults seeking help, following shocking new figures that show eating disorders are on the rise.

Anorexia and Bulimia Care was founded in 1989 as a registered charity to help families where someone has an eating disorder.

New official figures show that eating disorders have the highest death rates of all mental disorders with 4,610 new cases diagnosed each year in girls aged between 15 and 19. Boys aged 10 to 14 are also at risk.

Jane Smith, Director of Anorexia and Bulimia Care said: “The latest official statistics back up what we are experiencing every day on our telephone helplines. More and more people are calling with an eating disorder.

“It is putting increasing pressure on us and we need to raise funds to enable us to meet the growing demands as we receive no government funding and rely on individual donations and fundraising events.

Until recently this year binge eating disorder was not recognised as an eating disorder so when the charity was founded, it concentrated its efforts supporting those with anorexia and bulimia which also has symptoms of binge eating. More research is now needed into the psychological issue of binge-eating, which to date has not received understanding and is a hidden and growing problem.

“ABC has supported sufferers and their families for over 24 years and is inundated with requests for help via its helplines. The findings are important evidence from which to improve current services and poor provision across the UK.”

The authors of the latest report, the Institute of Child Health, University College London say that more research is needed to assess whether the increase in eating disorders is due to greater GP awareness and diagnosis.

But Anorexia and Bulimia Care say that the thousands of calls they receive each year indicate this is not the case.

Said Jane Smith: “Sadly, callers repeatedly tell us about poor treatment and understanding at primary care level. I suspect the increase in disordered eating and complex food issues is the reality. We need improvements in care and new ways of tackling this rising problem.

“I would urge GPs to recognise the complexity of eating disorders and support sufferers and their families during the wait for treatment. These disorders claim lives so we need to tackle the root causes and find solutions, therefore ABC not only continues to campaign for all those affected but also is working with the all-party parliamentary group addressing these issues. "

For more on how to help the charity ABC or for help and advice on eating disorders see anorexiabulimiacare.org.uk.