As Charity Warns Of Spike In Summer Eating Disorders, Our Wellbeing Specialist Shares Advice On How To Best Support Those Living With A Condition

For most families the Summer holidays are a time they eagerly look forward to.

Given the hectic pace of modern-life, spending time together is priceless and even if the sun doesn’t shine it brings warmth and hope into our lives.

But, for some, the holidays are also a very difficult time. A new report by the NSPCC published in July warns that they are anticipating a summer spike in contacts from children struggling with body image issues and eating disorders.

New data from the service reveals it delivered 4,229 counselling sessions to young people from April 2023 to March 2024 about these problems.

Support from Childline about body image issues and eating disorders peaked in August last year, a time when children are not in school and potentially spending more time outside or on social media.

The report also points to the overwhelming majority of counselling sessions about these problems being delivered to girls – where gender was known 88%
of counselling sessions were with females, 6% with males and 6% with young people who identified as trans or non-binary.

Suffering from an eating disorder could be compared to having a manipulative and unkind bully residing inside your head, that convinces you they are your one and only friend – your best friend and the only friend that you will ever need.

For the sufferer, they are fighting an internal war with themselves, but with no clear resolution. This can be utterly exhausting, and the more tired the person who has the eating disorder becomes, the more space the head creates for this ‘friend’ to occupy and take over.

Being at war with any part of yourself can never bring peace, whether it be the sufferer or their loved ones. Although the person suffering may feel as though they have control over this ‘friendship’, in reality, it is in fact the other way around.

Living with a loved one with an eating disorder, whether it be, Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, Overeating, OSFED or one of the many others, can be both extremely frightening and incredibly frustrating at the same time. It is very important to remember that any form of eating disorder is a mental illness with physical symptoms as well as mental torment.

It is not about food itself, but more about how the person feels and how they cope with these feelings. The way the person interacts with food may help them to feel more able to manage these emotions or may make them feel more in control.

There’s no manual which can cover everything you’ll need to navigate when supporting someone with an eating disorder. But trying to ensure you do the following will definitely help.

Create a safe and supportive environment, and try to understand that the sufferer does not want to have the illness just as much as you do not want them to have it.

Be non-judgemental and listen without prejudice, no matter how difficult the situation.

Don’t be afraid to talk about the condition, neither of you can move forward in the relationship if it is being swept under the rug.

Don’t be afraid to seek advice. You’re not going to have all the answers or "know how" to handle some situations so seeking some outside information or advice is important.

Acceptance, accept what your loved one is suffering but be sure to remind them they will have your support through each stage of the process.

Be patient with the sufferer and make sure both parties are not afraid to try and laugh and make happiness instead of stress in situations. Positivity goes a long way.

Know that even if someone doesn't look poorly on the outside they may well still be really suffering on the inside. Remember anorexia nervosa is a mental illness, even though it has physical symptoms.

Do not lose hope. Never accepting that this is as good as it gets, because it can always get better.

Lynn Crilly is the author of Hope with Eating Disorders (2nd edition) for more information click here