Parents

Thank you to everyone who came to hear me speak at EDIC 2012 - and thank you in particular to the people who have taken time to feedback.

Several people have asked if I could provide the slides of the session so I’ve attached them here. I’m afraid they don’t make a lot of sense without me there to talk them through though!

If you think I can be of help to you or your organisation or school, please don’t hesitate to be in touch.

Beat’s second Eating Disorders International Conference was a really impressive event, bringing together people interested in eating disorders from all over the world it was an honour to be a part of it - thank you to all of the organisers, other contributors and attendees.

Some behavioural signs can be quite hard to pick up on but some are really strong clear indicators that a young person is suffering from an eating disorder. The thing with many of these signs is that on their own they can usually be explained away, but if you see them in combination, or you’re noticing them in someone who has personality, family or social factors that put them at higher risk of eating disorders, they could be a clear indicator that someone is suffering from an eating disorder.

It’s all about building up a picture of the individual and once you know all the different things to look out for you’ll have a much better idea of whether a student needs further support or help. In addition to the behavioural warning signs listed below, there are physical warning signs that a young person might be suffering from and eating disorder which you should also be on the lookout for.

Restricted eating

Restricted eating, or dieting can be an indicator of an eating disorder. Of course there could be dozens of students in any year group who are dieting at any one time and not all of these will develop eating disorders, but any student who seems to be on a very severe diet and appears to be excessively restricting what they eat should be a cause for concern. Read the rest of this entry »

A special message from BEAT as it’s eating disorder’s week. This year the campaign encourages people to seek help for themselves of someone they care for.

BREAK THE SILENCE and help Beat Eating Disorders.

In the medical profession, we use a term ‘Eating Disorders Not Otherwise Specified’ (EDNOS) as a catchall for anyone who displays eating disorder like symptoms or thought patterns but who doesn’t meet the diagnostic criteria for the major disorders Anorexia, Bulimia or Binge Eating Disorder.

Not all eating disorders sufferers fit neatly into categories

It’s important to understand that not everyone who is suffering from an eating disorder will display the classic symptoms of the three major eating disorders. They may suffer from multiple disorders or from a form of a condition which is not extreme enough to warrant a diagnosis – but that doesn’t mean they don’t need help and support. Read the rest of this entry »

When I talk to teachers about eating disorders, one of the common things I hear is that eating disorders are completely taboo in the staffroom due to some incorrect, but commonly held beliefs. For this reason, I thought it would be helpful to dispel a few urban myths about eating disorders which you likely come up against often. Perhaps you’d like to leave a comment with some of your own too?

If we talk about eating disorders, we’ll start an epidemic

This is a really commonly held belief. Many people within and beyond schools believe that in talking about and especially in teaching about eating disorders that you’ll convert your healthy cohort into one that is starving themselves to death left right and centre. This simply isn’t true. Eating disorders are deeply complex and you will not cause a pupil to develop an eating disorder simply by talking about it. What you might do is raise awareness amongst staff and pupils of the symptoms of eating disorders which may lead to you recognising some new cases. But that is a GOOD thing. It is only once you have recognised a problem that you can begin to support and address it.

Eating disorders are just a passing phase

This absolutely isn’t true and believing that eating disorders are a passing phase is a very dangerous point of view. In fact, eating disorders can endure for decades if not supported promptly and appropriately. Eating disorders symptoms, no matter how mild, can be indicative of a deep underlying problem that needs to be addressed and supported. The sooner the pupil receives help the better their chances of not developing a fully blown eating disorder and/or recovering. This is unlikely to happen without support. Read the rest of this entry »

In many instances, pupils welcome the opportunity to have their parents support them through their eating disorder, and parents are supportive and helpful when approached by the school. In these cases, the three way relationship between parent, school and pupil is fundamental in terms of offering a structured system of reliable support that helps a pupil through the period of recovery.

“I don’t know what I’d have done without my mum and dad. They knew when I was down and they would always offer their help which meant I could get through the hard times easier than if I was trying to manage on my own.” (James, 15) Read the rest of this entry »

June’s story of her epic battles with eating disorders is a touching, interesting and fascinating read. It’s hard to remember sometimes that you’re reading a memoir and not a work of fiction - how could one person go through so much for so long and live to tell the tale eloquently, beautifully and inspirationally?

June first suffered from anorexia aged 11 whilst growing up on her parents farm, trying desperately to live up to her mother’s expectations of her - trying to work hard and fulfil the role of ‘Tim’, the son her mother never had. June’s anorexia morphs into bulimia during her teenage years and she battles with it incessantly for decades. Read the rest of this entry »

When I surveyed 800 young people about their experiences of eating disorders in UK schools, only 20% said that their school felt like a safe and supportive environment for someone suffering from an eating disorder. There were several reasons for this but the number one reason was teasing, rumours and bullying.

And not just from their peers. From the staff as well.

“You might as well go around with ‘freak’ written on your head. Everyone treats you like one. Even if they’re not being horrible then they’re freezing you out ‘cos they don’t know what to say.”

Kelly, Year 9

“My maths teacher joked about me being fat. Now I’m better I can tell it was a joke, back then I was skin and bones but I took him seriously and ate even less that day. Everyone made ‘jokes’ like that the whole time but it’s not funny.”

Michael, Year 11 Read the rest of this entry »