During Eating Disorders Awareness Week - from February 27 to March 5 - Tina Fisher, clinical lead nurse in the Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) Eating Disorders Team at Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (HPFT), is highlighting the support available for people affected.

We are a large multidisciplinary team offering assessment and treatment for children aged up to 18 with Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa and Binge Eating Disorder.

In 2022, the service received 313 referrals, a huge increase since 2020. The majority of people we see are aged 12 to 17, but we do sometimes treat younger children.

We see parents and families as experts in their children’s needs and, if possible, treatment at home is always recommended.

We offer a variety of community interventions including medical monitoring, meal support and dietetic reviews, which means we rarely admit anyone to a specialist inpatient bed.

If you suspect your child is developing an eating disorder, please do reach out for support. It is common to think that someone must be very low in weight to get treatment, and this is not the case at all.

For instance, if your child has stopped eating some of the foods they previously enjoyed and has become much fussier, or they are doing more exercise or standing or walking more, these may be warning signs.

You may also notice your child becoming withdrawn and unhappy. When someone develops an eating disorder, they become preoccupied with weight and body concerns, and these can be all consuming for them.

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When a young person is referred to us, we invite them and their families to an assessment and then decide on an appropriate treatment plan for them.

Treatment can be with our team or from our colleagues at the charity First Steps ED, a mild to moderate specialist eating disorder service focusing on early intervention for young people with disordered eating, ARFID-related difficulties (avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder) and poor body image.

First Steps work closely with the CAMHS Eating Disorder Team and other Hertfordshire services to offer a range of support for young people, including psychoeducational workshops and one-to-one peer support as well as counselling and drop-ins for parents and carers to provide skills and advice on supporting someone with eating and self-esteem issues. You can make a referral at www.firststepsed.co.uk.

If you think your child is struggling, talk to them, contact us if you think you may need support and speak to your GP if you have concerns about their physical health. You can contact us via the Hertfordshire mental health helpline on 0800 6444 101.

HPFT also offers a range of services for adults with moderate to severe eating disorders, from community support right through to inpatient services, supporting people through treatment and recovery – visit www.hpft.nhs.uk for more details.

Beat is the UK’s leading charity supporting people affected by eating disorders and its website has a huge amount of information - www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk.

Please remember that you are not alone and there is support available.