Eating Disorders Awareness Week 2022
February 28-March 6 is Eating Disorders Awareness Week
Eating disorders are devastating mental illnesses that affect 1 in 50 people in the UK. Recovery is possible but spotting early warning signs, which may or may not be linked to a person’s weight or appearance, can lead to life-changing interventions.
To mark the week, Healthy London Partnership’s (HLP) Mental Health Transformation and Children and Young People’s Mental Health teams have planned a week of activities to raise awareness around the symptoms, conditions, lived experiences, and recovery journeys of people with eating disorders.
We are sharing training and resources for healthcare and other professionals to recognise early symptoms, as well as support for the loved ones supporting children, young people and adults with eating disorders.
Content has been contributed by GPs, partner organisations and HLP’s teams, including the Transforming Mental Health programme’s Lived Experience Practitioners (LXPs) to highlight the patient voice and experiences of diagnosis, physical and mental symptoms, and recovery journey, from a range of eating disorders.
Trigger warning: if you need any support after viewing content on eating disorders, please visit the Beat website or speak to your GP.
See the below schedule of activities and scroll down to find links to new resources each day.
Supporting Eating Disorders Awareness Week 2022 in London – schedule:
Monday – 28/2
Podcast: Conversations around eating disorders and ethnicity featuring LXPs Charlotte and Anny.
Tuesday – 1/3
Guidelines for primary care professionals
Healthy London Partnership in partnership with Beat, the UK’s eating disorder charity, developed eating disorder guidelines for primary care professionals which share advice about spotting the signs of eating disorders and when to refer children and young people to the community eating disorders service for specialist support. Endorsed by Dr Tom Coffey OBE GP, Clinical Lead for Mental Health and Children’s Services at Wandsworth CCG and Mayoral Health Advisor:
“as a GP who has used these guidelines, I know first-hand what an excellent and invaluable resource they are to support primary care professionals identify, manage and support children and young people with a suspected eating disorder. Eating disorders are complex with many underlying causes and it’s crucial to recognise the symptoms early on. This short, simple and very practical tool supports primary care professionals to do this, and I strongly encourage my colleagues across London to use these guidelines”.
Wednesday – 2/3
Shared learning event recording: Understanding the differences between eating disorders and disordered eating
The event explored disordered eating in young people and how this condition differs to an eating disorder. Speakers shared examples from across London on how joint working across physical and mental health is addressing the needs of this group of young people. The event concluded with a discussion exploring the challenges and opportunities for greater working between physical and mental health.
Thursday – 3/3
Blog: Don’t worry alone, by Beat Eating Disorders
Podcast: Bringing in family, friends and other professionals into the conversation
Friday – 4/3
Saturday – 5/3
Our guidelines for spotting early symptoms of eating disorders can support professionals working with children and young people in education settings and through the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector. Find them here:
Guidelines for education professionals
Guidelines for professionals working in the VCSE sector
Podcast: Roundtable discussion on variation in eating disorders service provision for binge eating disorder
Sunday – 6/3
Artwork: An artistic view of what a good community eating disorder treatment programme could look like, by Charlotte, Lived Experience Practitioner with the Healthy London Partnership Adult Eating Disorder Programme
Download our ED2022 communications toolkit and help share awareness about eating disorders.