Richard Hogan: Nikki Grahame's tragic death reminds us we need to tackle eating disorders 

None of our children are immune to an eating disorder, it can strike at any time, without discrimination

Nikki Grahame died at the age of 38. Not all of our children will struggle with an eating disorder. But none of our children are immune to one

The recent tragic death of Nikki Grahame at the age of 38 has once again brought the serious issue of eating disorders back into public discourse. Working clinically with an eating disorder is one of the most difficult and problematic issues to treat as a psychotherapist. It is very hard to break a negative pattern of behaviour when the person has come to view that behaviour as something positive. 

This is one of the reasons why anorexia nervosa has the highest mortality rate of any mental health disorder. In fact, the mortality rate associated with anorexia nervosa is 12 times higher than the death rate of all causes of death for females 15-24 years old. This should serve as a serious reminder to policymakers, clinicians, teachers and advertisers that we have a responsibility to protect our children and start to roll out collective initiatives that, once and for all, tackle this deadly issue and not merely pay lip service to it.