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Read Full ArticleEating disorders affect one in fifty people in the UK – how can employers provide support?
To support Eating Disorders Awareness Week, TWinFM has collated information from eating disorder and mental health charities to help guide businesses in the right direction to help support those suffering.
Eating disorders and disordered eating can take a huge toll on a person’s physical and mental health, and anyone can experience it, regardless of background, age, weight or gender. Therefore the workplace can be an effective environment to signpost help to those who need it.
"Many assume that eating problems are linked to certain behaviours or physical traits. They might assume that eating problems are only about body image, or that you can tell what eating problems someone has based on their appearance. None of these assumptions are true and for people with eating problems, dealing with misconceptions is a difficult part of the experience."
–Mind
Talk ED, previously known as Anorexia and Bulimia Care, offers the following non-exhaustive list of some of the main signs of a possible eating disorder:
The National Eating Disorders Association is a USA-based non-profit organisation devoted to preventing eating disorders, providing treatment referrals, and increasing the education and understanding of eating disorders, weight, and body image in America. Their “Eating Disorders in the Workplace” guidance offers some advice if you’re concerned about a colleague or employee:
Mental health charity Mind has additional advice on avoiding common stereotypes around eating disorders when offering support.
Many assume that eating problems are linked to certain behaviours or physical traits. They might assume that eating problems are only about body image, or that you can tell what eating problems someone has based on their appearance. None of these assumptions are true and for people with eating problems, dealing with misconceptions is a difficult part of the experience.
Mind offers the following practical advice:
Beat, the UK’s eating disorder charity, offers specialist Corporate Partnerships, where a dedicated team will work with you to better equip managers to recognise early signs of eating disorders and support those affected.
They can also help create a support channel for those suffering directly or affected by an eating disorder in their family.
When it comes to seeking medical help, 69 per cent of people with an eating disorder felt that their GP did not know how to help them, according to a new survey by Beat. The charity is calling for all medical schools to implement comprehensive training on eating disorders so all doctors, including GPs, are able to identify eating disorders and signpost patients to specialist support without delay.
Currently, there is no requirement to provide medical students with any eating disorder training in the UK, with the average student receiving less than two hours throughout their degree. A fifth of medical schools do not provide any training at all.
During Eating Disorders Awareness Week 2022, Beat is campaigning for every medical school to provide comprehensive eating disorder training to give future GPs all the necessary knowledge and skills they need to help a patient presenting with an eating disorder. Currently, seven medical schools in the UK have implemented adequate training, including Glasgow Medical School, with a further seven in the process of doing so.
Find out more about Beat’s campaign here.
Picture: a photograph of two people sitting at a table speaking. Image Credit: Unsplash
Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 03 March 2022
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