Getting Help

Where to get help

It is usually very difficult for people with eating disorders to get better on their own. It is important that you find help and support. There are a variety of ways either you, or someone you care about, can gain support and treatment.

Healthcare Professionals

Seeing a GP can be a good start. It is important to have the correct diagnosis. Your doctor can refer you to specialist professionals like psychiatrists, psychologists, dieticians, nutritionists, and counsellors - it may not be possible to access this support without seeing a doctor. If seeing a doctor is difficult perhaps you could talk to the practice nurse or someone at school or college that you trust. Find out more about how to talk to your GP and treatment here

You can learn about different health care professionals and the way that they can help you here

Friends

Friends can be of great support in helping people cope with this illness. beat's experience shows that support from friends and family can really help people to recover even when they are receiving professional help and advice.

If you are a friend and would like to know more about how you could help your friend click here

Help in your area

To find what help is available in your area you can look through our helpFinder.

Youth Access also has a directory of free counselling and advice for young people 25 and under.

Help from beat

beat Youthline

The beat Youthline is available for confidential support and information for anyone in the UK. The service aims to provide a non-judgemental 'listening ear' to young people who are seeking help to overcome their eating disorder and for young friends and relatives. We will not tell you what to do, but it can help to talk things through and come up with ideas and options together.

You can call the Youthline on 0845 634 7650 . We are open from Mon - Fri 4:30pm - 8:30pm and Sat 1:00pm - 4:30pm. We are able to call young people back to save your phone bill, but do consider who will answer the phone. We are unable to return calls from outside the UK.

You can send us an email to fyp@b-eat.co.uk text us on 07786 20 18 20 (Standard Text Messaging Rates apply) or use our online 1-2-1 service.

Or write to the youth team:
beat - fyp
103 Prince of Wales Road
Norwich
NR1 1DW.

Find out more about calling the youth team here

Self Help Groups

Self Help Groups provide a place to share feelings with others who have similar experiences. beat runs groups all around the country for people with eating disorders and their families. If you are over 16 years old you can attend a group but you have to take a person who is over 18 years old with you. This does not have to be one of your parents/carers, it could be an aunt or older cousin or just a friend. For more information about the self help network click here.

Self help books can offer more of an insight into your illness and also offer step by step guidance to help you on the road to recovery. For more info on the books stocked by beat click here

Information Leaflet

beat has an information leaflet. This leaflet is available free to young people, 25 and under, who contact our Youth team on 0845 634 7650 or fyp@b-eat.co.uk