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 [email protected] or call 0300 123 7061.
General information about eating disorders
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 [email protected] 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 [email protected] 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