Trigger warning: this article discusses mental health and eating disorders
A young adult from Northern Ireland has shared their story of recovery from the eating disorder anorexia nervosa through a powerful and emotional video in a bid to inspire others to seek help.
In the UK, at least 1.25 million people are living with an eating disorder – at least 1 in 50 people. From 24 February to 2 March its Eating Disorders Awareness Week and the theme is ‘anyone can be affected by an eating disorder’.
Recovering from disordered eating
Jake Ferguson (pictured above), now 26 and living in County Tyrone in Northern Ireland, struggled with disordered eating for over 10 years before seeking help. Jake is non-binary and has also lived with borderline personality disorder for four years.
Jake wanted to share their story to offer hope to anyone else who might be struggling. “It feels important to me to use my voice to make the most of my lived experience. I began restricting my intake when I was about 14 or 15 years old. I swung between restricting my eating and comfort eating. It didn’t seem that weird to me at the time but on some unconscious level I knew what I was doing wasn’t good for me.”
Jake’s problems escalated when they came to study at the University of Leeds:
“I think food became a coping mechanism. It was the first time I’d had an unlimited supply. I was suddenly the one who had to decide what I ate every single day rather than my parents making decisions.
“In my third year some people said that I gained a lot of weight. For the first time I suddenly became really aware of my weight, so I decided to eat healthier. But it became a slippery slope into a lot of restrictive eating.”
Seeking help
Eventually Jake was going days without eating and their mental health started to significantly deteriorate. Jake went to see a GP and was referred to CONNECT – the adult NHS eating disorder service for West Yorkshire.
“I loved the staff at CONNECT. They were so supportive, kind and compassionate. They never judged me. I was encouraged to go at my own pace and challenge the behaviours that were causing my problems.”
Jake’s relationship with food is now much healthier:
“I’m on a journey of recovery. For example, I might go to a restaurant, and I just catch myself ordering something without even thinking about it. I just live my life the way I want to live it and how I used to live it.
“It’s been helpful and affirming for me to hear directly from people who’ve experienced an eating disorder. It makes you feel so much less alone, and you realise that what you feel is normal and that others have been exactly where you are.
“Now want to provide that for other people. What I’ve been through has provided me with an immense resource to help others and this film is just one small way that I hope I can do that.”
CONNECT – adult NHS eating disorder service for West Yorkshire
CONNECT is an NHS service for adults across West Yorkshire hosted by Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. Jake got help from a specialist team there including a psychiatrist, dietitian, therapists and mental health nurses. They receive referrals from a person’s GP mainly for eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.
They run a weekly open access support group for anyone nationwide that has an eating disorder or disordered eating. You do not need a formal diagnosis or to be under a service to join. You can also follow CONNECT on Instagram for additional support on managing daily life with an eating disorder or disordered eating. The account is run by members of their team who share their knowledge and expertise, from nutritional cooking videos to top tips. They also do daily live streams hosted by a different member of the team on a range of topics.
Beth Gripton is clinical lead and a dietitian at CONNECT. She said:
“Eating disorders can affect anyone and it’s nothing to be ashamed of. It’s never too late or too early to get help. And with the right kind of help, you can recover to lead a fulfilling life with a healthy relationship with food.
“We assess everyone individually and put a plan in place that’s right for the person in front of us. We are grateful to Jake for sharing their story which we hope will inspire people who may be struggling with hope for the future.”
After nearly a year out of therapy, Jake is looking at starting a PhD in English literature, focusing on trans/queer poetic adaptations of medieval culture. They are focusing on their writing and poetry, and a few have been accepted for publication.
In their spare time, they volunteer for the Plus Importance Project – an LGBTQ+ charity, as a social media content creator.
Jake added: “The CONNECT team helped me to save my life, they were so compassionate and their care was so thorough. This will hopefully help someone else who might be struggling to feel a bit less scared to reach out.”
Eating Disorders in the UK
In the UK, at least 1.25 million people are living with an eating disorder. That’s at least 1 in 50 people. And yet many people wouldn’t know how to spot the signs that someone has an eating disorder. This is important because the sooner someone is treated for an eating disorder the better their chance of making a full recovery.
This year the BEAT Eating Disorders charity is running a campaign with a clear message: anyone can be affected by an eating disorder, and that they are serious mental health conditions that can affect anyone – at any age, gender, or background – at any time.
If you are affected by eating disorders, please speak to your GP or find out more on the BEAT eating disorders website.
What is anorexia?
Anorexia (or anorexia nervosa) is a serious mental illness that can cause individuals to limit how much they eat or drink. They may develop ‘rules’ around what they feel they can and cannot eat, as well as things like when and where they’ll eat. Anorexia can affect anyone of any age, gender, ethnicity or background. In some cases, anorexia nervosa can be characterised by low body weight, however you can never tell how unwell someone is by just considering their weight.
As well as limiting how much they eat, they may do lots of exercise, make themselves sick, or misuse laxatives to get rid of food eaten. Some people with anorexia may experience cycles of bingeing (eating large amounts of food at once) and then purging.
Find out more about it on the BEAT eating disorders website.
What is bulimia?
Bulimia (or bulimia nervosa) is a serious mental illness. It can affect anyone of any age, gender, ethnicity or background. People with bulimia are caught in a cycle of eating large quantities of food (called bingeing), and then trying to compensate for that overeating by vomiting, taking laxatives or diuretics, fasting, or exercising excessively (called purging). Treatment at the earliest possible opportunity gives the best chance for a fast and sustained recovery from bulimia.
It’s normal for people who aren’t suffering from an eating disorder to choose to eat a bit more or ‘overindulge’ sometimes. This shouldn’t be confused with a binge eating episode.
Binge eating is often a way to cope with difficult emotions; someone may feel driven to binge eat if they’re feeling stressed, upset or angry, for example. During a binge, people with bulimia don’t feel in control of how much or how quickly they’re eating. Some people also say that they feel as though they’re disconnected from what they’re doing. The food eaten during a binge may include things the person would usually avoid. Episodes of binge eating are often very distressing, and people may feel trapped in the cycle of bingeing and purging. People with bulimia place strong emphasis on their weight and shape, and may see themselves as much larger than they are.
Find out more about bulimia on the BEAT eating disorders website.
Press release
