Peer support groups are helping patients who use a specialist eating disorder service and their families connect and share their experiences.
Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT) runs the Adult Eating Disorder Service, which provides care and treatment for people across Essex who have moderate to severe eating disorders.
The team also provide the FREED (First Episode Rapid Early intervention in Eating Disorders) treatment programme for young people aged 16 to 25 who have had an eating disorder for less than three years.
The charity Beat, which organises the annual Eating Disorders Awareness Week (23 February to 1 March), estimates 1 in 50 people – or 1.25million – in the UK have an eating disorder.
This year’s theme focuses on the importance of community and how family, friends, peers and other support networks help people with eating disorders feel understood and supported.
Beat carried out a survey last year of people who have eating disorders and found 80% of those questioned had experienced misconceptions from others about their condition.
Assistant Psychologist Aimee Goldthorpe, from EPUT’s Adult Eating Disorder Service, said: “Eating disorders like avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder, anorexia, bulimia, binge eating and OSFED (other specified feeding or eating disorder) are complex mental health conditions which are often misunderstood, mislabelled or undiagnosed, which can prevent people from reaching out for help.
“Eating disorders can be deeply isolating. At EPUT we believe recovery is strengthened through connection, compassion and care.
“Peer support offers people the chance to feel understood, less isolated and supported by others with shared experiences.”
The Eating Disorder Service User Network (SUN) Patient Group is for patients with a formal diagnosis of an eating disorder or have disordered eating without a formal diagnosis. It provides a space for connection and shared understanding. Clinicians also provide recovery-focused support sessions, which complement the treatment and care patients receive.
The SUN Carers Group is for families, carers, and friends to share their experiences and get support and information.
It is open to anyone who is caring for a loved one who may have a formal diagnosis of an eating disorder or that may meet diagnostic criteria.
Please email [email protected] if you are interested in joining either of these groups. You can find more information on the Eating Disorder Service User Network webpage.
The Adult Eating Disorder Service webpage has more information about the team.