Page updated 20/09/2023

You can find a range of resources and information below for children and young people who are, or may be, struggling with an eating disorder.

BEAT Eating Disorders

BEAT is an eating disorder charity, and this webpage provides information on how to manage eating disorders and what support services are available during this time.

How to cope with an eating disorder during lockdown

• Molly who is a fundraiser for The Mix, provides advice on 12 ways to deal with an eating disorder during lockdown. She also provides links to Instagram accounts that spread positive messages that can help during this time.

How to manage eating disorders

• 10 tips from Good Thinking on how to manage eating disorders. This also provides information on BEAT, their services and how they can help.

Learning self-compassion after recovery

• Maria Sharp, an ambassador for The Mix and student, provides advice on how to learn to be self-compassionate after recovery. She gives advice on the road to recovery and what to do next.

Recovering from an eating disorder

• Rachel Elder who is an ambassador with The Mix (support service for young people) talks about recovering from an earing disorder, the reality of recovery, taking the leap and where to seek professional help for this.

Q&A on Eating Disorders

• This Good Thinking page provides you with a Q&A on what the symptoms are, what types of eating disorders exist, next steps and how you can support someone you know who is suffering from this.

What is Otherwise Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder?

• Molly who is a volunteer at First Steps ED (an eating disorder charity) explains what OSFED is, what symptoms are, Molly’s own experience with it and where to get support.

Worry about weight and eating problems

• The Royal College of Psychiatrists provide advice on worries about weight for young people. This webpage has information on how to stay at a healthy weight, what causes problems with eating, signs of an eating disorder and how to get help.

Return to mental health in schools toolkit page for children and young people

Eating disorders can affect anyone of any age and children are a particularly vulnerable group. School staff are ideally placed to spot the early signs of an eating disorder and potential factors in an eating disorder’s development, such as trouble with peers and academic pressure.

Beat Eating Disorders

Beat provide a range of tools and training courses for schools, healthcare professionals, parents and students designed to enable staff help pupils into treatment quickly.

With training from the UK’s eating disorder charity, you’ll learn how to pick up on early psychological, behavioural and physical signs of eating disorders, how to approach someone you’re concerned about, and what you can do to help them into the treatment they need.

For more information on Beat’s training offers, visit www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/training-cpd

Find more information developed by TPHC’s children and young people’s eating disorders team including a video and helpful guides on spotting symptoms here.

This page offers guidance for assessing, treating and monitoring children and young people with eating disorders. 

Eating disorders are complex disorders that can have many underlying causes, and tend to manifest during adolescence.  There are multiple types of eating disorders, which is why it is crucial for medical professionals and families to recognise the symptoms early on.

NICE eating disorders guidelines

Please refer to the NICE eating disorders recognition and treatment guidelines. These guidelines covers assessment, treatment, monitoring and inpatient care for children, young people and adults with eating disorders. It aims to improve the care people receive by detailing the most effective treatments for anorexia nervosa, binge eating disorder and bulimia nervosa.

Guidelines for primary care professionals

These eating disorders guidelines in partnership with Beat, the UK’s eating disorder charity – for primary care professionals about helping children and young people with eating disorders to seek treatment. These guidelines are being dispatched to schools and colleges across London to increase knowledge and understanding and to put a stop to myths.

More information about the guidelines for primary care professionals.