Eating disorders are serious mental health conditions that affect people of all ages, genders, and backgrounds. They are not about food alone. They are about the complex emotional and psychological needs that eating behaviours come to serve: control, comfort, self-punishment, a way of managing feelings that have become too much to carry any other way.
The most commonly recognised eating disorders include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder (BED), and ARFID (avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder). But disordered eating exists on a spectrum, and you do not need a formal diagnosis to deserve support.
Signs that you might benefit from support
- A preoccupation with food, weight, or body image that takes up significant mental space
- Using food to manage emotions, whether restricting, bingeing, or purging
- Feeling out of control around eating, or feeling controlled by rules around food
- Hiding eating behaviours or feeling significant shame around food
- Physical effects such as fatigue, dizziness, or disrupted menstrual cycles
- Eating behaviours that are affecting relationships, work, or daily life
How therapy can help
Eating disorders are complex, and recovery often involves working with a team that may include a GP, dietitian, and therapist. At Inner Space, we offer therapeutic support that looks beneath the surface, exploring what the eating disorder is protecting you from and helping you develop a different relationship with difficult feelings.
Our work in this area connects with self-esteem, anxiety, depression, and trauma.
Beat is the UK’s leading eating disorder charity, offering helplines, online support groups, and information: helpline 0808 801 0677.