most eating disorder treatment clinics have a requirement that you must have an underweight bmi to recieve help and treatment.

having a requirement for an underweight bmi for eating disorder treatment is harmful and toxic. it gives society the idea that only slim people can have eating disorders, and tells those who do have eating disorders that they are not worthy of receiving help until they’re a certain weight.

this leads to people dying because they don’t get the help they receive until it’s too late. if this requirement was lifted, then much more people would be eligible to get help and recover and be free of their mental illness.

beat, the uk's eating disorder charity, explains the value of early intervention. “the earlier in the course of the illness someone is able to access treatment, the better their chance of fully recovering.”.

there have been many instances where people have died following improper care or lack of care altogether due to not fitting the bmi requirement to recieve treatment and we can’t let this happen anymore. 

for example, when eliza small started seriously restricting her eating two years ago, she was referred for specialist help. however, she was refused specialist outpatient mental health treatment because her bmi was too high. “it made me feel like i wasn't good enough at my eating disorder” she said. (source: bbc)

anorexia is already an extremely competitive illness- the individual constantly feels a need to be slimmer than those around them. there is no need for extra pressure to lose weight from the very people who are supposed to help them and make them get better.