What are eating disorders?
Eating disorders are serious mental health conditions, which can have a huge impact on someone’s mental and physical health. They can affect anyone with any body shape or lifestyle, regardless of their gender, culture, age or ethnicity.
Lots of young people who develop an eating problem or disorder might also be going through other mental health issues, like anxiety or stress, feeling low or depressed, or struggling with self-esteem. Eating problems can also occur alongside neurodivergence and experiences of trauma.
Young people can use their behaviour around food and eating to try to cope with these difficult thoughts, feelings and experiences. They might limit how much they eat, eat large quantities of food in a short period of time, or use methods like making themselves sick.
While it can sometimes be hard to understand from the outside, doing these kinds of things might:
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make someone feel they have a way of coping when things are difficult
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make someone feel in control, or give them a way of reducing anxiety or panic when they’re overwhelmed
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numb or reduce uncomfortable or distressing feelings
Over time, these kinds of thoughts and behaviours around food might become very fixed and difficult to change, and may start to take over daily life. This can have a hugely negative effect on a young person’s social life and their relationships with friends and family, as well as their relationship with themselves.
It can also lead to very serious physical health problems and affect a young person’s physical growth and development. In very severe cases, and without the right kind of support and treatment, eating disorders can be life-threatening.
If someone gets the right professional help, the eating disorder can be treated and they can get better.
Whatever’s going on, it’s important to find help as soon as you notice concerning behaviours around food. The sooner they get support, the easier it will be for the young person to change their behaviour and find other ways of coping. Getting help early can also prevent physical health problems from developing.
Different types of eating disorders
Some eating behaviours may develop into, or meet the criteria for, a specific eating disorder.
There are several common eating disorder diagnoses.
People with anorexia generally try to keep their weight low by limiting how much food they eat, doing excessive amounts of exercise, or both. They may have “rules” about what they eat, when and where. They might think they are bigger than they are and feel very scared about gaining weight.
Some people with anorexia also try to ‘get rid’ of food, for example by making themselves sick or using laxatives.
Without support, anorexia can lead to serious physical health problems, so it’s important to get help as early as possible.
ARFID stands for ‘avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder’. This used to be known as selective eating disorder.
People with ARFID avoid certain foods or types of food, restrict the amount of food they eat, or both. Unlike with anorexia, people with ARFID don’t necessarily do this to lose weight. ARFID is not the same as ‘picky eating’ and is more serious than this.
Common reasons people with ARFID may limit their food intake include:
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Sensory sensitivity to the appearance, smell, texture, temperature or taste of certain foods.
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Feeling scared about eating if they have had a frightening experience with choking or vomiting after eating.
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Having a limited interest in food, including not realising when they feel hungry.
People with bulimia binge eat or over-eat, and then "purge" to get rid of the food. They might do this by making themselves sick, using laxatives, or over-exercising. They may feel guilty about what they’ve eaten and want to remove the food from their body. Or completing a cycle of binging and purging might feel like it’s giving them a sense of control when things are difficult.
Bulimia can cause serious damage to someone’s body, so it's important to get help as early as possible.
People with binge-eating disorder regularly eat large quantities of food in a short time. They feel like they are not in control of this, or that they’re unable to stop. In a binge-eating episode, people may eat a lot faster than usual, eat beyond fullness, and feel embarrassment or shame afterwards.
Unlike with bulimia, people with binge-eating disorder do not usually purge afterwards.
OSFED stands for ‘other specified feeding or eating disorder’. You might also have heard it called EDNOS (eating disorder not otherwise specified), though this term is generally no longer used.
OSFED is the diagnosis often given to someone if their symptoms don’t fit neatly with anorexia, bulimia or binge-eating disorder. It is the most diagnosed eating disorder in the UK.
People with OSFED can experience a range of different symptoms. Some examples of what OSFED might look like include:
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Atypical anorexia – where someone is experiencing all the symptoms of anorexia, but their weight remains in a “normal” range.
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Lower frequency binge-eating disorder – where someone experiences the symptoms of binge eating disorder, but episodes don’t happen as often.
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Lower frequency bulimia – where someone experiences the symptoms of bulimia, but the cycles of bingeing and purging don’t happen as often.
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Night eating syndrome – where someone eats a lot at night or after dinner, or wakes up in the night to eat.
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Purging disorder – where someone purges, as with bulimia, but it is not part of a binge/purge cycle.
Pica involves experiencing cravings to consume things that aren’t for eating, or people feeling like they can’t stop themselves from eating these things. This can include substances like soap, chalk or dirt.
Sometimes the person might feel urges to consume substances that are dangerous, so it’s important to get help as early as possible
You can find out more about each of these conditions on the BEAT website.
Even if you’re not sure whether your child has an eating disorder, if they have eating problem that’s affecting their day-to-day life, they still need professional help to understand what they’re experiencing.
Signs that your child might be developing an eating problem or disorder
Every child and young person may experience and show eating difficulties differently. The signs can also vary depending on the nature of their eating difficulties or eating disorder.
While it’s not always easy to tell, some early signs that your child is developing an eating problem or disorder might include:
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becoming more controlling or limiting about what, how much or when they eat
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avoiding eating around other people
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obsessing about their body shape, having an inaccurate view of their body, or expressing fear about putting on weight
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leaving the table quickly after meals (which may be to hide food or be sick)
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exercising a lot, or much more than they used to
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seeming different in themselves – including seeming more tired than usual, or finding it difficult to concentrate
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wearing loose or baggy clothes
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losing or gaining weight (although weight changes are not always present, and may not be related to eating disorders)5
As a parent or carer, it’s not always easy to know what’s going on. Young people with an eating problem often try to hide what they’re doing.
But if you’ve noticed changes that are worrying you, the next steps are to open up a conversation with your child and to get professional advice. You don’t need to wait for your child to lose or gain weight before getting professional help – ask for advice now.
Getting help and treatment
1. Making an appointment with a GP
If you’re worried that your child is developing an unhealthy relationship with food, it’s important to make an appointment with a GP. This is the first step to getting them the right help.
Make a list before the appointment of the concerning behaviours you’ve noticed. Or, if your child wants to go by themselves, encourage them to make a list of the things they’re experiencing. The more honest and specific you can be, the easier it will be to get the right help.
BEAT have a really useful resource that you can both use to help you prepare for the appointment. They also have a leaflet you can take to the GP if your child is struggling with binge-eating problems.
People with eating disorders can sometimes find it hard to see they have a problem. Be clear about the fact that you’re concerned and that you can see they need some help.
If your child won’t go to an appointment, you can still speak to the GP yourself to get advice about what to do next.
For more advice, see our guide to getting help from the GP.
Seeing your GP as quickly as possible, and asking for support for your child is essential. Early intervention is key to your child’s recovery. If your GP does not take your concerns seriously, keep persisting in asking for a referral to an eating disorders team.
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CAMHS, which is the NHS mental health service for children and young people.
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Your local adult NHS mental health service.
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A specialist eating disorder unit.
Professionals working in one of these teams will talk to your child to find out what the problem is. They will then decide what kind of treatment will help. While this is happening, the GP may also refer your child to a paediatrician for a physical health assessment.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) provides guidelines for NHS treatments. They very clearly recommend that GPs should make a referral for specialist assessments if there is any concern that a young person has an eating disorder. The guidelines specifically state that they should not wait to see whether things get worse before doing this.
This is because getting early help can make a big difference – and because it’s important to get help before an eating disorder starts to affect a young person’s physical development.
If you don’t think the GP is taking enough action, you can always ask the surgery to make you an appointment with a different doctor. You can also outline what the NICE guidelines say.
Depending on where you live, your child may be able to contact CAMHS or adult mental health services directly. You may also be able to refer them as their parent or carer. You can find this information online, or ask your GP surgery how things work in your area.
3. Receiving specialist treatment
The type of support and treatment your child has will depend on the type of eating disorder they’ve been diagnosed with. It may include:
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family therapy
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individual therapy developed specifically for eating disorders
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group therapy developed specially for eating disorders
Your child’s physical health might also be monitored during and after treatment.
Your child might also receive treatment locally while they’re at home, through outpatient or day services. Or, if they need a higher level of support, they may go into hospital.
If you are worried about your child’s physical health or they become very unwell, for example if they are experiencing chest pains or feeling faint, they need to see a doctor straightaway.
- Take them straight to A&E or call 999 for an ambulance.
- You can also call 111 if you’re concerned but they do not need to be seen immediately.
If your child needs urgent mental health support, for example if you are worried that they are feeling suicidal or experiencing a mental health crisis, you can find advice on our urgent help page.
Educate yourself around eating disorders, this will enable you to give your child the best possible support. Charities such as Beat offer peer support and online development for carers on similar journeys to those you are facing.
How can I support my child?
Getting professional advice as early as you can is one of the most important things you can do to support your child. But there are also things you can do to support your child at home.
Young people who have been through eating problems say it helps when parents:
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Show they can talk about it, and don’t shy away from the issue.
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Remember that this might be a difficult conversation for their child to have.
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Are open minded and focus on finding out what it’s like for their child.
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Avoid making assumptions about why their child is behaving in this way.
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Address what they want to talk about directly and use ‘I’ statements. For example, you could say, ‘I’ve noticed that …’, or ‘I’m really concerned because …’, and then ask, ‘can we have a chat about it?’.
BEAT have a really useful resource to help you start a conversation if you’re worried about your child. You can also find some simple tips to help you make your child feel understood on our How to Really Listen to Your Child blog.
It’s completely understandable if things feel overwhelming. But try to keep your focus on the person your child is, rather than just seeing the eating disorder. Talk about other things and spend quality time together doing activities you both enjoy. Keep normal routines and family life going as much as possible. This might feel hard sometimes, but young people who have been through this say just how important it is.
Certain points of the day, such as meal times, might feel really challenging. This is understandable. But if things feel tense, it can be more anxiety-provoking for your child.
It can help to:
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Give yourself permission to step away for a moment if you feel yourself becoming stressed, and come back when you’re calmer.
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Think about activities you could do during meals, such as playing a game together or watching TV, which can help to take the pressure off everyone.
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Avoid having serious conversations during mealtimes or other family activities, so that your child can enjoy the social time too.
There are stories of recovery on social media that can be positive for young people to see. But some content promotes disordered eating and can be damaging for young people with eating problems. This is often called ‘pro-anorexia’ (or ‘pro-ana’) and ‘pro-bulimia’ (or ‘pro-mia’) content. Social media algorithms might also push things like weight loss programmes into young people’s feeds, which can be harmful to see.
Talk to your child about what they’re seeing online, and about how they can make sure it’s having a positive influence on them. Your child can use our advice on creating a positive social media community in our young person's guide to social media and mental health. Or they could try finding an alternative community at Beat (their online chat spaces are fully moderated).
It’s important that young people feel able to socialise with friends and family. But it can be difficult when social events often revolve around food. Think together about events such as big family meals or trips with friends ahead of time.
Young people who have been through this say it can be helpful to:
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Decide what they’re going to eat beforehand, for example looking at a menu in advance before going to a restaurant with friends.
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Plan downtime around social events to help them cope with stress.
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Have a back-up plan if things feel too difficult. For example, eating in a separate room just with you if eating with everyone else is too much.
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Allow themselves to enjoy the event and socialise too, without the occasion being all about what they’re eating.
When things feel tough, remind yourself that your child is not choosing to do this and can’t simply ‘decide to stop’. Eating disorders are complex conditions, and it can take time for things to get better. Try not to take their behaviour personally and remember to see yourselves as a team working together.
Getting support at Beat
Beat can help you and your child through:
- Their Helpline service, which provides information and advice for people with eating problems, and their parents or carers.
- Their weekly online support groups for people struggling with eating disorders, and for their families and carers.
- Their daily online chat space, where anyone struggling with an eating disorder can connect with others.
- Their resource packs and their online learning and sharing space for anyone supporting someone with an eating disorder.
Looking after yourself
This can be an incredibly tough, or in some cases traumatic, experience for parents and carers to go through. You may be feeling really worried about your child’s mental and physical health. When the situation is very serious, some parents tell us they feel like they’re firefighting all the time.
This is exhausting, and can start to affect your wellbeing too. Remember you can:
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Lean on trusted friends and family and say ‘yes’ to offers of help.
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Take a moment for yourself. Even if it’s something simple like watching a TV programme or doing a short activity you enjoy. It’s so important to be able to recharge.
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Connect with other parents and carers going through similar things at one of BEAT’s online support groups.
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Speak to the professionals supporting your child to share your worries or concerns if they’re receiving treatment.
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Call the Samaritans anytime on 116 123 if you need to talk.
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Make an appointment with a GP to get help with your own mental health.
It is essential that the carer takes good care of their own mental health, and that other family members do too. Reach out to friends and family members who are willing to listen and to offer support.
Useful helplines and websites
While we take care to ensure that the organisations we signpost to provide high quality information and advice, we cannot take responsibility for any specific pieces of advice they may offer. We encourage parents and carers to always explore the website of a linked service or organisation to understand who they are and what support they offer before engaging with them.
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Beat - For Parents
Offers information and support for anybody affected by eating disorders, and for their families and carers.
One-to-one web chat available. They also run a range of online support groups, which are all fully moderated and anonymous.
Enter your postcode in the HelpFinder to see what eating disorder support is available in your area.
Parents and carers in some parts of the UK can access peer mentoring, through which you can be supported by someone who's been through the same situation.
Find information on helpline accessibility and confidentiality.
Helpline is for anyone over 18.
- Opening times:
- 365 days a year - weekdays (9am - 8pm); weekends (4pm - 8pm)
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Childline
If you’re under 19 you can confidentially call, chat online or email about any problem big or small.
Sign up for a free Childline locker (real name or email address not needed) to use their free 1-2-1 counsellor chat and email support service.
Can provide a BSL interpreter if you are deaf or hearing-impaired.
Hosts online message boards where you can share your experiences, have fun and get support from other young people in similar situations.
- Opening times:
- 24/7
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CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably)
Provides support to anyone aged 16+ who is feeling down and needs to talk or find information.
Free webchat service available.
Read information about the helpline and how it works.
- Opening times:
- 5pm - midnight, 365 days a year
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Samaritans
Whatever you're going through, you can contact the Samaritans for support. N.B. This is a listening service and does not offer advice or intervention.
- Opening times:
- 24/7
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Papyrus
Offers confidential advice and support if you're struggling with suicidal thoughts, and information about how to make a safety plan.
Its helpline service - HOPELINE247 - is available to anybody under the age of 35 experiencing suicidal thoughts, or for anyone concerned that a young person could be thinking about suicide.
There is a chat service available on the website.
- Opening times:
- 24/7 every day of the year
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Tellmi
Formerly known as MeeToo. A free app for teenagers (11+) providing resources and a fully-moderated community where you can share your problems, get support and help other people too.
Can be downloaded from Google Play or App Store.
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Muslim Youth Helpline
Provides faith and culturally sensitive support for young Muslims.
Online chat service available during opening hours.
- Opening times:
- 4pm - 10pm, 365 days a year
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This page was reviewed in June 2026.
It was created with a parent or carer with lived experience of supporting their child or young person with an eating disorder.
We will next review the page in 2029.
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