Men Get Eating Disorders Too
Support for young men with eating disorders
What is an eating disorder?
Eating disorders are serious mental illnesses that can affect young people, children and adults of all ages, genders and ethnicities. They most commonly develop in adolescence but can also occur in children as young as 7 and in older adults. In the UK alone there is thought to be around 725,000 people struggling with eating disorders.
Everyone has different eating habits. Some days you may eat more than others or go through phases of eating more healthily but this doesn’t mean you have an eating disorder. An eating disorder is an illness not a diet.
When people have an eating disorder this begins to dominate their whole life, and impacts on their school/ work/ social and family life. Often people who develop an eating problem are struggling with difficult feelings or stressful events in their lives and the eating disorder can begin as a way of coping with these or regaining a sense of control. Thoughts about food, calories and body weight can take over, and are often accompanied by feelings of fear, anxiety, guilt and shame. People can start to become isolated from friends and stop enjoying things they used to do, they might avoid eating in front of people or become panicky around food, and they may make themselves sick or want to exercise immediately after eating. They may also experience low self-esteem and self- worth, negative thoughts, low mood, self -harm and difficulty coping with life.
People can be affected by one or more type of eating disorder or find their symptoms changing as they recover. Someone with an eating disorder may also experience other mental or physical health issues at the same time as their eating disorder. Sometimes these can play a role in the eating disorder developing, or they may develop alongside or because of the eating disorder.
Types of eating disorders:
What causes eating problems?
There is no one single reason why someone develops an eating disorder. A whole range of factors combine, including genetic, psychological, environmental and social influences and interpersonal and relationship difficulties that increase the likelihood that someone develops an eating disorder.
How do I know if someone has an eating disorder?
Signs of an eating disorders can vary depending on the type of eating disorder you have but here are a few things to look out for:
What helps?
Eating disorders claim more lives than any other mental illness and should always be taken very seriously. However, they are treatable conditions and the sooner someone gets the support and treatment they need the more likely they are to make a full recovery. Making an appointment with your GP is a critical first step, especially if you’ve lost a lot of weight. They’ll be able to help you get specialist help and get on the road to recovery.
How can I help myself/others?
You could also contact the B-eat Youthline, Kooth or Childline for confidential support, B-eat is a national charity supporting anyone affected by eating disorders.
If you are really concerned about someone or they have lost a lot of weight then tell an adult you trust, eating disorders can be very serious and sometimes we need to break trust/confidentiality in order to protect people from harm, and it’s important to get some support for yourself.
See B-EAT UK for more information about spotting the signs of an eating disorder and accessing help.
Who are they?
The CAMHS access team is the first point of contact for requests for help and where all referrals are triaged and allocated to the most appropriate service. The key philosophy is to ensure that the child or young person gets the right help at the right time and in the right place.
What services do they provide?
When are they open?
9am – 5pm, Monday to Friday (excluding Bank Holidays)
Where?
New County Hall Treyew Road, Truro TR1 3AY Cornwall
How do I refer?
Cornwall CAMHS take referrals from any source, including parents or self-referrals. There is a referral form that is sent to a central multi-agency Hub based in County Hall in Truro. Each referral is carefully screened by a CAMHS clinician.For more information visit: cornwall.gov.uk/earlyhelp or call: 01872 322277
Who can be referred?
Children and young people who are aged pre-birth to 18. If a young person has a special educational need or disability, who have a need for early help care and support, this is extended up to age 25.
Who are they?
XenZone is an organisation that provides Face to Face and online mental health services for children, young people and adults. Kooth, from XenZone, is a free online counselling and emotional well-being platform for children and young people, accessible through mobile, tablet and desktop.
What Mental Health conditions do they support?
Anxiety, Stress, Identity, Sexuality, Health, Relationships, Eating Disorders (no restriction to this currently).
What services do they provide?
When are they open?
Their Online services are available Monday-Friday 12pm-10pm and Saturday-Sunday 4pm-10pm.
Their face to face services are arranged between Monday – Friday by the individual and counsellor.
Where?
Their Face to Face team arranges visits in schools, local outreach and community venues dependent on the individual they are supporting.
How do I refer?
Via email [email protected] or phone for face to Face support but email is always recommended. You, a family member or professional can make a referral to the service.
For online services you can create an account and log on to the website to access information and support.
Who can be referred?
Children and young people up to the age of 19 (up to the eve of 20th Birthday) experiencing Mental Health difficulties.
Who are they?
The Community CAMHS Teams.
What Mental Health conditions do they support?What services do they provide?
Children and young people who have completed an assessment with the service and meet the criteria can be offered intervention and/or specialist assessment within one of our care pathways by the Community CAMHS teams. These mainly describe the process of care within getting help although for some needs they extend into getting more help or describe the offer of advice and support from getting advice services.
When are they open?
9am – 5pm, Monday to Friday (excluding Bank Holidays)
Where?
West (Kerrier): The Hive, Kernow Building, Wilson Way, Pool, TR15 3QE
West (Penwith): Bolitho House, Laregan Hill, Penzance, TR18 4NY
Mid (Restormal): Shaw House, Porthpean Road, St Austell, PL26 6AD
Mid (Carrick): Truro Health Park, Infirmary Hill, Truro, TR1 2JA
East (North East/ Bodmin): Launceston Integrated CAMHS and Children's Centre, Coronation Park, Launceston, PL15 9DQ
East (South East): 6A Heathlands Business Park, Liskeard, PL14 4DH
How do I refer?
Cornwall CAMHS take referrals from any source, including parents or self-referrals. There is a referral form that is sent to a central multi-agency Hub based in County Hall in Truro. Each referral is carefully screened by a CAMHS clinician.
For more information visit: cornwall.gov.uk/earlyhelp or call:
West (Kerrier): 01209 204000
West (Penwith): 01736 571070
Mid (Restormal): 01726 873292
Mid (Carrick): 01872 221446
East (North East/ Bodmin): 01566 761100
East (South East): 01579 373850
Who can be referred?
They accept referrals for children and young people up to the age of 18 years. This includes those with a learning disability and/or neuro–developmental disability who are registered with a GP based within Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.
A referral that doesn’t meet the threshold for a specialist intervention, but the child has a moderate level of impairment can be allocated to the Primary Mental Health Team (PMHT). These workers are specialists in early interventions in mental health and will offer consultation and advice. They have some limited capacity to offer some solution focussed interventions.
Who are they?
CYPEDS is a specialist service offering community-based treatment for people under the age of 18 with a suspected or diagnosed eating disorder.
What Mental Health conditions do they support?They are commissioned to treat individuals with anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and other specified feeding or eating disorders (OSFED).
What services do they provide?
When are they open?
9am – 5pm, Monday to Friday (excluding Bank Holidays)
Where?
County-wide
How do I refer?
Cornwall CAMHS take referrals from any source, including parents or self-referrals. There is a referral form that is sent to a central multi-agency Hub based in County Hall in Truro. Each referral is carefully screened by a CAMHS clinician.
For more information visit: cornwall.gov.uk/earlyhelp or call:01579 373850
Who can be referred?
They accept referrals for children and young people up to the age of 18 years. This includes those with a learning disability and/or neuro–developmental disability who are registered with a GP based within Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.
A referral that doesn’t meet the threshold for a specialist intervention, but the child has a moderate level of impairment can be allocated to the Primary Mental Health Team (PMHT). These workers are specialists in early interventions in mental health and will offer consultation and advice. They have some limited capacity to offer some solution focussed interventions.
Myth: Only girls can have eating disorders
Fact: People of all genders, ethnicities and backgrounds can develop an eating disorder. In fact 25% of people with eating disorders are male.
Myth: Eating disorders are just a phase young people will grow out of.
Fact: Eating disorders are serious mental health illnesses that are unlikely to get better without specialist treatment. Eating disorders claim more lives than any other mental illness and should be taken very seriously. However it is possible to make a full recovery with the right support and many people go on to full and happy lives.
Myth: Eating disorders are caused by seeing skinny, unrealistic and glamorous pictures of celebrities and fashion models online in the media.
Fact: All young people are exposed to these images and most do not develop an eating disorder. Eating disorders are complex and there is no one direct cause.
Find more information, support and helplines
Hear personal experiences and stories from other young people