The Department of Social Care is participating in Eating Disorders Awareness Week, which is being organised across the UK. The message of Eating Disorders Awareness Week is clear: ‘eating disorders can be beaten; recovery is always possible even after many years of illness’ www.b-eat.co.uk Minister for Social Care Hon Martyn Quayle MHK commented: “I am delighted to support this important initiative. Government is committed to improving the quality of life of the people of the Isle of Man; good mental health is a crucial factor in achieving this. I believe my Department’s efforts to address issues such as eating disorders working with colleagues in the Department of Health are making a real difference. I do hope Eating Disorders Awareness Week helps everyone in the community understand this issue and helps people who may be suffering from eating disorders to gain information and help.” Eating disorders affect 1.6 million people in the UK (source: b-eat, beating eating disorders, 2010). We all make choices in relation to food, such as eating more healthily or becoming a vegetarian. However, some eating patterns can become a problem. Problems can begin when food is used to cope with feelings such as boredom, anxiety or fear, or to cope with other painful feelings or situations. For some people, their problems with food can start simply and get increasingly more complicated until they dominate or control their life. The Department’s Political Member for Social Services Mr Bill Malarkey MHK commented: “Eating disorders have always been with us but in the past a lack of awareness has meant that people were often too afraid to ask for help and struggled on alone. We now have greater understanding of eating disorders and know that successful interventions involve working towards some understanding, not just recognition, of the problem. This week provides an opportunity to raise awareness and increase understanding of these difficult and demanding disorders and the Department continues to provide a high quality service to those affected.” Anyone can develop an eating disorder regardless of age, sex, culture or racial background. While the people who are most likely to be affected tend to be young girls between the ages of 12-25, 10% of people diagnosed with an eating disorder are male. Anorexia nervosa makes eating very distressing and people often have a distorted view of how they look, thinking that they are overweight when, in fact, they are very thin. People with anorexia avoid eating and may develop unusual habits to avoid eating. Bulimia nervosa leads to people binge eating, often to fill an emotional or hunger gap, and then they try to get rid of the eaten food either by vomiting and/or use of laxatives or by excessive exercise. Some people believe that eating disorders are a modern day problem, and a direct consequence of the pressure from the media to be thin. Although portrayals in the media have been shown to influence some people’s body image, eating disorders are not a modern day problem. The causes of eating disorders are complex and there are lots of reasons why someone may develop an eating disorder, such as low self-esteem, relationship problems with family or friends, anxiety about growing up, bereavement or due to a traumatic event in their lives. Some people describe their eating disorder as a way of staying in control of their life or as an emotional release. If left untreated an eating disorder can have a negative impact on various areas of someone’s life, including their relationship with family and friends and their schoolwork or job. Many people with an eating disorder may not acknowledge that there is a problem or want to talk about their eating pattern. However, help is available, and recovery is possible, although recovering from an eating disorder can often take some time. What is important is that the person affected wants to get better. Treatment of eating disorders on the Isle of Man is a multi- agency intervention. Professionals involved include: GPs, The Community Mental Health Team (CMHT), nursing staff, dieticians, psychiatrists, family therapists, psychotherapists and psychologists. The Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) co-ordinates the treatment of eating disorders in children and young people. - ENDS -