Many people experience problems with eating. They can occur at any age but often affect teenagers, both males and females. Eating problems can appear in many different ways. When we think about this our first thoughts are often around restricting food, either to lose weight, or for other reasons. It might also look like eating lots in one go, which we call binging, this can sometimes be followed by actions like restricting food, making yourself vomit or taking laxatives. Both restricting and binging can cause serious damage to your physical health.
Other problems with eating can be struggling with the taste or texture of certain foods. This can make it difficult for someone to get nutrition that is needed and can cause social difficulties such as eating out with family/friends. Some difficulties such as anxiety and low mood can impact on our appetite making us feel not hungry or that we don’t want to, or can't, eat. If you feel that anxiety or low mood is effecting your eating then you might find our other sections “I’m feeling worried” or “I’m feeling sad” helpful, as when we focus on getting help in these areas our appetite will come back.
Eating problems can be very distressing and it can be hard for those around you to understand and know how to support you. If you are struggling with any of these issues it’s important to speak to a trusted adult and get the help you need. We’ve also included some online resources below that you might find helpful.
