Eating Disorders

Sometimes when other forms of self injury don't work, another way in which people try to cope with the stresses of life, is with their eating habits. You do not have to be incredibly thin to have an eating disorder, nor do you have to fit into any particular category. An eating disorder is not about what you look like, but rather, what you feel and how you are behaving with your eating.

Eating disorders develop for many different reasons, but mostly, you will find that, like other forms of self-harm, they are about control. The most likely people to have eating disorders, or to develop them, are people who feel that an aspect of their life is, or has been, out of their own control. This may be because of abuse they have suffered, or it may be from academic pressure, or pressure of a job. It could even simply be family pressure, or a family situation that they are unable to cope with in any other way. 
Eating disorders are dangerous. The long-term effects of an eating disorder can be devastating. People can die from eating disorders. 

If you feel that your eating is not as it should be, you are probably right. In our links section you will be able to find links to eating disorder websites, which explain symptoms of the more common eating disorders, and more unknown or “not otherwise specified” eating disorders. You will also find information on how to get help and support in recovery from disordered eating. 

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