National Eating Disorders Awareness Week: Community

This year the focus is community.

Community matters. Connection matters. Relationships matter. Feeling less alone matters. Learning more matters. Seeing hope and recovery in others matters.

But community is not a substitute for clinical care.

Eating disorders are serious psychiatric illnesses. They have the highest mortality rate of any mental health condition, due to both medical complications and suicide. They affect people of all sizes, genders and backgrounds. Many are unwell without looking unwell.

I developed an eating disorder in my early twenties. It followed years of mood instability and not understanding what was happening in my own mind. Trying to control food felt like an attempt to control chaos.

It was not control. It was illness.

The hardest moment is not always the physical impact. It is the internal crack. The point where you realise this has gone too far. The moment you have to admit it.

That is where support is paramount.

Community plays a role in that moment. We need cultures where people feel safe to speak. We need language that does not praise control or dismiss distress. We need families, friends and professionals who can listen without judgement.

And we need specialist treatment.

I have designed and delivered a dedicated eating disorder lecture for the University of Birmingham, focusing on psychological impact, medical risk and professional responsibility. I also work as a media ambassador for Beat, contributing to television, radio and print. In all of this work, one message remains consistent. Responsible conversation must always sit alongside access to professional support.

Recovery from an eating disorder requires informed clinical care. GPs. Specialist services. Structured therapy. Charities such as Beat, who provide helplines for adults, young people and parents, as well as webchat and practical guidance.

Where someone is in their journey matters.

Those in the midst of illness need clinically safe, recovery focused support.

Those in early recovery may need to protect their space carefully.

Those further along may be in a

position to reflect and educate safely.

Stage matters. Safety matters.

Community opens the door.

Professional support walks people through it.

If you need support in the UK, Beat’s helpline is 0808 801 0677.

No one should face this alone.

Fliss Hoyle is the founder of Lived Experience Inspires and delivers talks and workshops sharing lived experience across education, workplaces and media.

If you would like to include lived experience within your education programme, organisation or event, you can find more information on the website or get in touch.