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Eating disorders

Eating disorders are serious mental health conditions that can have severe psychological, physical and social consequences. An eating disorder can involve eating too much, or too little, exercising too much, losing control over how much is eaten and then taking drastic action to not put on weight, or a combination of these behaviours. Those with eating disorders may have negative perceptions of their body image, such as their weight and shape, and often have other mental health problems alongside the eating disorder, such as anxiety or depression. Eating disorders commonly start in adolescence but can start earlier or later during childhood or adulthood.

Types of eating disorders

The NHS says the most common eating disorders are:

• anorexia nervosa
• bulimia
• binge eating disorder

A person may have an other specified feeding or eating disorder (OSFED) if their symptoms do not exactly fit the expected symptoms of a specific eating disorder.

A person may have an avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (AFRID) when they avoid certain foods and/or limit how much they eat.

Symptoms of eating disorders

The NHS identifies the following symptoms of eating disorders:

• spending a lot of time worrying about your weight and body shape
• avoiding socialising when you think food will be involved
• eating very little food
• making yourself sick or taking laxatives after you eat
• exercising too much
• having very strict habits or routines around food
• changes in your mood such as being withdrawn, anxious or depressed

Individuals may also notice physical signs, including:

• feeling cold, tired or dizzy
• pains, tingling or numbness in your arms and legs (poor circulation)
• feeling your heart racing, fainting or feeling faint
• problems with your digestion, such as bloating, constipation or diarrhoea
• your weight being very high or very low for someone of your age and height
• not getting your period or other delayed signs of puberty

Eating disorder awareness week

Eating Disorders Awareness Week is an international event for raising awareness and understanding of eating disorders and challenging stereotypes and stigmas.

In 2026, it will take place from February 23 to March 1. The theme is community and the charity Beat has explained why:

Eating disorders can be isolating, making people feel alone whether someone has an eating disorder themselves or whether they are supporting someone.

We’re celebrating the power of community and the vital role family, friends, and other support networks play in helping someone feel supported, understood, and never alone on their journey from seeking help, undergoing treatment and beyond.

We'll be talking about different types of community, the role of online communities and highlighting the importance of good wellbeing for everyone.

Recent policy

Guidance

In January 2026, NHS England published updated national guidance for service providers on how to design collaborative, integrated eating disorder services to support children and young people, and their families and/or carers.

In February 2025, the government said NHS England is in the process of publishing updated commissioning guidance for children and young people with eating disorders, and updated access and wait time standard guidance.

NHS England’s 2025/26 priorities and operational planning guidance has a priority for Integrated Care Boards to improve access to children and young people’s mental health services, which would include eating disorder services.

Funding for eating disorder services

Integrated Care Boards are responsible for planning and commissioning eating disorder services in local areas.

Health minister Dr Zubir Ahmed said in response to a parliamentary question that the government provided £106 million in funding to children’s eating disorder services in 2024/25. This is £10 million more than in 2023/24 (an increase of 10%).

Government mental health commitments for young people

The government has said:

• it will recruit an extra 8,500 mental health workers across child and adult mental health services to improve access to treatment and support
• it will provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school in England
• it is rolling out Young Future Hubs in every community to provide open access mental health support for children and young people, including support for eating disorders.