A leading provider of eating disorder treatment in Manchester

Eating disorders are debilitating mental health conditions that cause individuals to develop an intense obsession with their weight, appearance and body shape and weight. This preoccupation typically leads to them engaging in unhealthy eating habits and interacting with food in a destructive manner. The behaviours that are associated with eating disorders may include:

• Dramatically limiting the amount of food that is consumed
• Eating excessive amounts of food in one sitting
• Engaging in harmful behaviours to influence food and weight e.g. induced vomiting, abusing laxatives, exercising excessively
• A combination of the above

These behaviours can have an incredibly negative impact on individuals’ mental and physical health, and for some people, can even result in death.

Our eating disorder treatment experts in Manchester are able to deliver evidence-based outpatient treatment for all of the most common types of eating disorder, as well as those that are more atypical. These include:

Anorexia nervosa – people with anorexia have a preoccupation with being as thin as possible, a drastically distorted body image (causing them to believe that they are fat), and an overwhelming fear of gaining weight. Anorexia sufferers typically try to achieve their low body weight by engaging in a range of destructive behaviours such as starving themselves, making themselves vomit, abusing laxatives, and exercising excessively.

Anorexia is most common in young women between the ages of 14 and 25 years old. However, it is possible for anorexia to develop in anyone, despite their gender, age or background.

Bulimia nervosa – bulimia is a complex eating disorder that is characterised by individuals regularly eating excessively (known as binge eating), followed by engaging in harmful ‘purging’ behaviours, such as abusing laxatives or making themselves sick after meals, in order to try and control their weight. These binge-purge cycles can be triggered by hunger, anxiety, or stress, and because the cycles don’t result in drastic weight changes, people with bulimia often appear to be a ‘normal’ size, which can make this eating disorder very difficult to identify.

Bulimia can affect males and females of any age, but it is more common amongst girls and women between the ages of 15 and 25 years old.

Binge eating disorder (BED) – BED causes people to regularly eat huge amounts of food in one sitting (binge eating), even when they aren’t hungry. However, unlike bulimia, BED sufferers don’t engage in purging after their binges, and therefore, these individuals are likely to gain weight as a result of their constant overeating. This can lead to people struggling with BED to become obese which can result in additional health complications.

Research indicates that BED affects both males and females equally, and has been found to be more common between the ages of 20 and 40 years old.

Other specified feeding or eating disorders (OSFED) – OSFED, also known as ‘atypical eating disorders’, are characterised by some of the features of anorexia, bulimia and BED, but they do not meet the exact requirements that are needed to be diagnosed with one of these eating disorders. An individual may have OSFED if they display the following:

• Having a low body weight, but one that isn’t low enough to be diagnosed with anorexia
• Binge eating and/or purging happens infrequently
• Having an obsession with weight, appearance and body shape, but no other symptoms
• Being extremely underweight as a woman, but menstruation (periods) still take place

Many people who have OSFED have struggled with anorexia, bulimia or BED in the past, or may go on to be diagnosed with one of these eating disorders in the future.

Outpatient eating disorder treatment in Manchester consists of techniques that are evidence-based and have shown to be highly effective in the treatment of these complex conditions. We are able to offer one-to-one outpatient therapy, delivered using tried and tested approaches such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).

You can read more about eating disorder treatment on our approach to eating disorder treatment page.

Our specialist eating disorder treatment team have a wealth of clinical expertise in treating these complex conditions, and ensure that their practice adheres to National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines. We are dedicated to delivering a comprehensive programme of outpatient care to each of our eating disorder patients, and use tried and tested treatment approaches.

The signs and symptoms of eating disorders vary depending on the type of eating disorder that you are struggling with, and can also be different for each person. However, the following are all common signs and symptoms that you, or someone that you know, may be struggling with a harmful eating disorder:

• Extremely low or high weight
• An obsession with your physical appearance and other people’s perceptions of your body
• Believing that you are fat when other people say that you are thin
• Feeling as though you have lost control over your eating habits
• A preoccupation with food and calories, and feeling as though food has taken over your life
• Experiencing intense stress during mealtimes
• Experiencing guilt and shame when you eat
• Wanting to eat alone or in secret