Eating Distress
Food and eating plays a very important part in our lives. We all like different foods, we also vary in how much we need to eat, and when we like to eat. Food is essential for our health and development; eating is usually a pleasurable experience and for most of us food forms an important aspect of our social lives. It is not unusual to experiment with different eating habits, for example you may have decided to become a vegetarian or tried changing your diet to improve your health. However, some eating patterns can be very damaging. Food can become a problem when it is used to help us cope with painful situations or feelings, or to relieve stress.
It is often difficult to recognise when eating becomes a problem, for example, if you use food in order manage difficult emotions and feelings of being out of control. It can also be problematic if your main focus and concentration in life is on food and the amount you eat. If you restrict your intake and are losing weight, you may be developing or may have developed an Eating Disorder.
An eating disorder involves a distorted pattern of thinking about food and size/weight: there is a preoccupation and obsession with food, as well as an issue of control or lack of control around food and its consumption. Eating disorders have the power to severely impact the lives of sufferers and their families. Psychological features of these disorders can leave individuals depressed, anxious, socially isolated, deeply fearful and unable to cope with the daily tasks posed by work, study and relationships. Physical health can deteriorate rapidly due to the persistent use of disordered eating, with potential effects including heart, renal and liver dysfunction, impaired immunity and electrolyte balance, diabetes, respiratory dysfunction, osteoporosis and death.
Where to get help
Recovering from an eating disorder can take a long time and it is important that the person wants to get better. The support of family and friends is very valuable. Specialist care can help to deal with underlying psychological causes and physical effects. There are also support and self-help groups, and University services that can help (see below).
A person with an eating disorder can be helped much more effectively if the problem is identified and treated early. However, for treatment to be successful, they must want to get better, and accept professional help and support from family and friends.
The first place to go for help is a GP, who can assess any physical problems resulting from the eating disorder and refer you for specialist help. If the GP assess you as having an eating disorder, then they will probably refer you to a psychiatrist or psychologist who is trained in treating people with eating disorders, along with a dietician. One type of "talking treatment" or psychotherapy that is thought to be effective is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT).
Treatment with a professional therapist allows people to talk through the issues that upset them and that may lie at the heart of their eating disorder. CBT in particular may be useful in helping people to learn healthier ways of thinking about food.
Counselling and Mental Health Support
The University provides its own Counselling and Mental health Support Service for students, if you feel that no one around understands what you are going through, accessing this service may really help. The professionals within the team will listen, acknowledge your feelings, and where appropriate, with your consent, refer you for additional support. The counsellors and mental health practitioners are based within Counselling and Mental Health Support and cover the whole of Northumbria University.
Useful links
Links to organisations and contacts external to the University are provided for your convenience, but the University takes no responsibility for the content of the sites or for the outcomes of any contacts made through following these links.
BEAT - advice, support and a helpline for young people who think they may have an eating disorder
Eating research from Kings College London - information and the latest research
Men get eating disorders too - information and support for men
NIWE Eating Distress Service - Newcastle based organisation offering a helpline, group support, and information for those whose lives are affected by eating distress
REDS Regional Eating Disorder Service - referral is necessary for this NHS outpatient and inpatient service
