Hi, I’m Ellie and I’ve suffered with anorexia and bulimia nervosa, once rejected by Camhs for not being skinny enough, this led me onto a spiral out of control, crippled by not only anorexia, where it was so extreme, a BMI of 11, borderline fatal, where I was finally offered help, which I chose to decline due to my previous history of being rejected, I am now recovered from both anorexia and bulimia, but it is not fair for people to be in the face of death before they are offered help. People suffering with not the ‘stereotypical’ anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder are left feeling invalidated, unworthy and feeling like they are not ‘sick enough’ when in fact eating disorders are a mental disorder, a persons weight should not be the determining factor as to whether they receive the support they need. All people with eating disorders are sick enough and desperately need and are seeking support yet are turned away as they don’t fit the criteria.

CAMHS: child and adolescent mental health service deprive people of the support and guidance people with eating disorders need. I know myself, after being essentially turned away from the service myself after surging with anorexia nervosa,  for not being sick enough as my weight wasn’t low enough. This led me into a spiral, developing multiple other eating disorders: bulimia nervosa being one of them, as i felt invalidated and not sick enough as I was turned away and left to suffer alone until I did fit the category of being sick enough, Something  needs to change, people shouldn’t have to get to such a critical low weight before they receive the help they need, all eating disorders are just as awful as each other, regardless of weight or size, people struggle the same. I wish to highlight the unjust system available to eating disorder suffers in the UK, with 1 in 4 developing an eating disorder in their lives, CAMHs should offer help to everyone and anyone suffering with an eating disorder, someone’s weight should not determine whether they receive the help they so desperately need.