Beat, an eating disorder charity, has called on the government and NHS to increase awareness for such conditions as it revealed a staggering lack of public knowledge.
The charity commissioned survey of more than 2,000 by YouGov found that more than 1 in 3 adults (34%) could not name a sign or symptom of eating disorders. They link this lack of awareness to delayed treatment and a higher risk of the condition becoming chronic.
Andrew Radford, chief executive of Beat, said: ‘This research has showed us that in the UK many people still do not know how to identify an eating disorder in its early stages.
‘These results are worrying because we know lack of awareness can stop sufferers getting the treatment they desperately need as soon as possible.
The results of the survey have been presented to mark the beginning of Eating Disorders Awareness Week (EDAW), which Beat hopes will put pressure on the government to invest in support for those with eating disorders.
And, from what the survey shows, there is great need to increase public awareness. Out of those surveyed, 18% ‘did not know’ any signs or symptoms of a disorder, while 14% listed a diagnosis such a ‘bulimia’ or ‘anorexia’ instead of a sign or symptom.
In addition, of those who gave a correct answer, about two-thirds (62%) listed physical symptoms such as weight loss over any other. Beat says people with disorders often maintain a normal weight, and that physical signs often manifest long after psychological ones.
This means that, when looking for signs of eating disorders, a focus on the physical symptoms risks allowing psychological ones to go unnoticed, to foment and take root.
Mr Bradford said that timing was crucial for such ‘serious mental illnesses’, with people who are treated quickly more likely to have ‘a fast and sustained recovery’.
He called on the government to take swift action: ‘Today, we are asking that the Government and NHS invest in measures to increase awareness of the early signs and symptoms, heightened awareness will not only improve outcomes for those suffering but also prove cost effective for the services treating patients.’