More people seeking help for eating disorders

There has been a 30% increase in the number of people attending support groups for eating disorders in Ireland.

Bodywhys, the Eating Disorders Association of Ireland, reported a surge in demand for its services in 2016.

There was a 33% increase in email support requests last year as well as the 30% increase in people attending face-to-face support groups.

Across the board, there was an increase of 10% in the number of people using the organisation’s services in 2016. These services range from online and face-to-face support groups to fielding information queries via email or over the phone.

Another service area where there was a growth in demand was in BodywhysConnect, the online support group. There was an increase of 14% in the number of people participating in these groups.

In terms of a gender breakdown of service users, 10% of helpline calls and 11% of those who attended a face-to-face eating disorder support group were men.

Another figure from the information published by the association yesterday showed 34% of callers to the Bodywhys helpline had experienced an eating disorder for over 10 years.

Harriet Parsons, training and development manager at Bodywhys, said that a range of support services are needed because people are reaching out for help in a range of ways.

“It is clear that people affected by eating disorders require a range of support services,” said Ms Parsons.

“One in five of support requests (22%) to Bodywhys were through our helpline.

“Over half of support contacts (56%) came through online services. Email support, in particular, represented the largest element of support (38%) provided during 2016.”

Ms Parsons said the increase in attendance at peer-support groups shows that people benefit from listening to the experience of others, as it lessens isolation.