Number of students needing support for eating disorders doubles in five years

The number of university-aged students needing support for eating disorders in the UK has more than doubled over the last five years, according to a leading charity.

BEAT – which offers support to people over the phone, by text, or email – told Sky News that between April 2023 and March 2024, they delivered 15,120 helpline sessions to 18 to 22-year-olds, up from 6,620 for the same period between 2019 and 2020.

Erin Butler, a student in Birmingham, said she’d suffered a relapse with her eating disorder following her freshers’ week, having struggled with anorexia from the age of 15.

“I think coming to uni, I really wanted to get rid of that part of myself, leave behind the anorexic, sick version of myself and come as a new person”, she said.

The English student, now in her third year, said she wanted to “create a new identity, a fun, go out all the time, really live the uni lifestyle person, but I think trying to hide that part of yourself doesn’t really work – it’ll always be there, it’s always going to come up in some way”.

She returned to her home in County Armagh in Northern Ireland to access treatment via her GP.

She’s certain that the campus lifestyle triggered her anorexia again.

“I think the mixture of managing my finances, managing my own groceries and making sure I was able to make classes on time… all of that combined becomes too much and when you have everything going on in your head as well, it’s really a disaster,” she said.

The charity’s director of external affairs Tom Quinn said university is often the time when young people are away from home for the first time.

“It is often a time of anxiety when they are under pressure for a new way of working and studying,” he said.

“They’re meeting new friends, they’re also having to cook for themselves and also do all of this without sort of parental supervision.

“So we think for some people, they are developing an eating disorder for the first time. For others, that eating disorder is getting worse because they don’t have their families around.

“We want universities to be better equipped to spot the signs of eating disorders and help students in their care. We’ve launched our ‘bridging the gap’ training to help with this, but we’re also calling on the government to make sure there is enough treatment available for adults so that they can get the help they need.”

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Universities UK, which represents 141 institutions, said: “There is growing concern about the mental health of young people in the UK including students, with increased demand for university-funded support services.

“Universities have stepped up their efforts, with particular focus on making sure students are aware of the range of services available at their university and via the NHS, and encouraging those with mental health difficulties to access the right support.”

A government spokesperson said: “Lord Darzi’s report exposed the dramatic rise in serious eating disorders, with hospital admissions for eating disorders increasing by 82% since 2019/20.

“We will fix the NHS and ensure those living with the condition are given the support they need, by recruiting an extra 8,500 adult and child mental health staff, investing in community mental health hubs and putting mental health support in every school.”