What do you know about eating disorders?

Eating disorders are serious mental illnesses that involve disordered eating behaviour.

This might mean limiting the amount of food eaten, eating very large quantities of food at once, getting rid of food eaten through unhealthy means (e.g. purging, laxative misuse, fasting, or excessive exercise), or a combination of these behaviours.

Eating Disorders Awareness Week 2026

The theme for Eating Disorders Awareness Week 2026 is community.

Community and connection are vitally important in helping someone living with eating disorder/s feel supported, understood, and never alone on their journey towards recovery - from seeking help, undergoing treatment and beyond.

Find out how to get involved with Eating Disorder Awareness Week 2026.

Visit our eating disorders page for more information and resources.

More about eating disorders

It’s important to remember that eating disorders are not all about food itself, but about feelings. The way the person interacts with food may make them feel more able to cope, or may make them feel in control.

According to Beat Eating Disorders: 

• Approximately 1.25 Million people in the UK have an eating disorder
• Around 25% of those are male
• Recent research from the NHS information centre showed that up to 6.4% of adults displayed signs of an eating disorder