Recognising all that carers do to help beat eating disorders

June 18, 2012 at 1:39 PM

18 to 24 June is Carers’ Week – and throughout the week we will be continuing our theme of ‘Break the Silence, Beat Eating Disorders’ from Eating Disorders Awareness Week in February.

With an estimated 1.6 million people in the UK suffering from an eating disorder, we know that far more are indirectly affected – parents, siblings, partners, relatives and friends, all of whom can be classed as ‘carers’.

Research shows that caring for someone with an eating disorder can cause significant psychological distress. So, we know it’s important for carers to seek their own support, whether from the Beat Helpline, a locally available Beat self help and support group or other sources. You can find information about the Helplines here and you can use our HelpFinder directory to find a support group near you.

What we also know is that support from family members can really help someone suffering from an eating disorder towards making a full recovery. On the Information Resources page you’ll find a range of booklets for carers and some designed specifically for siblings too.

These resources can also be downloaded from our Carers’ Forum website www.b-eat-carers.co.uk, a dedicated website for carers featuring information, message boards and fortnightly Carers’ Chats. Coinciding with Carers’ Week, the next Carers’ Chat is due to take place on Tuesday 19 June from 7:30 to 8:30pm. For more details visit the website.

We hope that this Carers’ Week will be a time when many more people who are supporting someone with an eating disorder recognise themselves as carers. It’s an opportunity to break the silence – to pick up the phone to our Helpline, to find out about the next support group meeting near you and to connect with other carers on our message boards. Whatever you choose to do, it’s a time to recognise all that carers do to help beat eating disorders.