One in eight UK teenagers now suffers from an eating disorder, according to the latest figures from the UK's National Health Service. That's a shocking fifteen-fold increase since before Covid.
These disorders are notoriously sneaky; parents I've spoken to say they creep up on us and it can take a long time to realise what's going on.
It's even worse if we focus in on seventeen to nineteen year olds where one in twenty boys and one in five girls has an eating disorder.
In this episode Rachel talks Umairah Malek, the Clinical Coordinator at the UK charity, Beat. She explains what an eating disorder is, what to look out for, and gives some great tips for how to support your loved one through to recovery.
Resources:
The EAT-26 (https://www.eat-26.com/eat-26/) is a self-help test that takes just minutes to complete. [1] Mental Health America has a different version (https://screening.mhanational.org/screening-tools/eating-disorder/) with fewer questions. [2]
Neither test can diagnose an eating disorder, but they can help you understand if your symptom severity is improving. So taking them, and tracking your scores, could be helpful.
The UK's Eating Disorder Charity - Beat (beateatingdisorders.org.uk) (https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/)
www.hopevirgo.com
Www.feast-ed.org
Facebook:
Eating Disorder Family Support
Books:
www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk (https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/get-information-and-support/about-eating-disorders/downloads-resources/helpful-books/) /get-information-and-support/about-eating-disorders/downloads-resources/helpful-books/
Hadley Freeman, Good Girls: A story and study of anorexia.
Netflix:
Everything Now - After months in recovery for an eating disorder, 16-year-old Mia devises a bucket list of quintessential teen experiences to make up for lost time.
Previous episodes and blog:
Blog: https://www.teenagersuntangled.com/blog/eating-disorders-the-sneaky-stealth-bomb/
Healthy attitudes to eating:
9: Screens and teens. Here’s how to help them, and yourself, manage your time. Also can we talk about healthy eating without giving our teens an eating disorder? (teenagersuntangled.com) (https://www.teenagersuntangled.com/parenting-tips-9-how-to-help-your-teens-manage-their-screen-time-and-talking-to-them-about-healthy-eating-without-giving-them-an-eating-disorder/)
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