UK Eating Disorders Stats 2025

CHALLENGING THE DATA – HOW EFFECTIVE WAS YOUR TREATMENT IN ADDRESSING BOTH YOUR MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH?

Our research shows that 63% of those treated for eating disorders felt their treatment effectively addressed both their mental and physical health. However, 37% did not find this to be the case, raising critical questions about how truly integrated eating disorder care is across the UK.

James Lamper, Founder and CEO of WeightMatters, with over two decades of clinical experience in eating disorders and weight-related health, warns that this gap could have long-term consequences:
“You cannot treat an eating disorder in parts. A patient may present with weight loss or restrictive eating, but beneath the surface are often trauma, anxiety, depression, or body image distress. If we focus only on food and weight without addressing the psychological roots, we risk short-term outcomes and long-term relapse.”

Lamper explains that comprehensive treatment must bridge the mind and body together to support full recovery:
“When treatment is fully integrated, we see transformation. The physical body begins to stabilise, and with it, a client’s thoughts, emotions, and behaviours shift. This dual approach not only prevents relapse but also fosters genuine healing of the relationship with food, body, and self.”While 63% is a promising figure, Lamper urges healthcare providers to consider why over a third of patients still feel unsupported in this crucial aspect of their recovery. “We must do better. The data is a starting point – the future must be more integrated, personalised, and psychologically informed.”

CHALLENGING THE DATA – HOW WELL DID YOUR TREATMENT HELP YOU BUILD COPING SKILLS FOR LIFE POST-TREATMENT?

In the UK, only certain healthcare professionals are legally allowed to prescribe weight loss medications. These include:

Our research reveals that 30% of people treated for eating disorders in the UK said their treatment did not help them build any long-term coping skills – and a further 28% felt either poorly equipped or neutral about the tools they received. This suggests that a substantial number of patients are exiting treatment without the emotional and psychological resources they need to navigate recovery independently.

James Lamper, Founder and CEO of WeightMatters, reflects on why this finding is so concerning:
“Eating disorder recovery doesn’t end when a treatment plan does. Life continues – with all of its stress, relationships, and emotional triggers. If people don’t leave treatment with coping strategies that are grounded in self-regulation, emotional awareness and behavioural flexibility, the risk of relapse increases dramatically.”

At WeightMatters, Lamper and his multidisciplinary team work closely with clients to develop precisely these life-enhancing tools.
“We teach clients how to understand and tolerate distress, how to manage emotional overwhelm without turning to food, and how to build structure into their daily routines. From breathwork and body awareness, to values-based decision-making and emotional processing – we give people the tools to live, not just survive.”

Lamper believes that this gap in national treatment approaches is critical:
“Every client should finish treatment with a personalised toolkit. Recovery is a process, not an event – and those tools are what help people stay well when therapy ends.”

He calls for a shift in national standards to prioritise skills-based interventions as a core component of eating disorder treatment – not an optional add-on.

CHALLENGING THE DATA – HOW HELPFUL WAS THE ONGOING SUPPORT YOU RECEIVED AFTER TREATMENT?

While 38% of respondents said their ongoing support after eating disorder treatment was very helpful, 22% felt it was not helpful or were indifferent, revealing a gap in continuity of care that is vital for long-term recovery.

Ongoing support is more than just a check-in – it’s the foundation that helps people maintain progress, navigate setbacks, and continue building resilience. When structured well, it provides both safety and momentum after the intensity of treatment has ended.

What can effective ongoing support include?

• Regular follow-up therapy sessions to process post-treatment emotions, address new triggers, and maintain accountability.
• Flexible session frequency, allowing clients to scale support up or down as needed, rather than ending abruptly.
• Access to group therapy or peer support groups, creating connection, shared understanding, and reducing isolation.
• Integrated care planning between therapists, nutritionists, and medical professionals to continue supporting mind-body health.
• Relapse prevention planning, including early warning sign tracking and response strategies.
• Digital support tools, such as guided journaling, self-monitoring apps, or secure messaging with practitioners.
• Family and partner involvement, with education and sessions that equip loved ones to support recovery effectively.
• Psychoeducation resources that evolve with the patient’s stage of recovery, such as coping with transitions, relationships, or workplace stress.

Ongoing support should be proactive, personalised, and emotionally attuned. Without it, even the most effective treatment can lose impact over time. This data suggests that ongoing care must be recognised as an essential, not optional, phase of eating disorder recovery.

CHALLENGING THE DATA – HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE ACCESSIBILITY OF YOUR TREATMENT?

Despite improvements in mental health service delivery, 41% of respondents in our study said that accessing eating disorder treatment in the UK was extremely challenging. A further 38% reported it was either difficult or not very accessible –  meaning nearly 4 in 5 people struggled to access the care they needed.

James Lamper, CEO and Clinical Director of WeightMatters, believes the system is failing a growing population in urgent need of support:
“Eating disorder rates are rising. NHS services are overwhelmed. Waiting lists are long. People are deteriorating while they wait. That’s the harsh reality – and it’s unacceptable.”

Lamper stresses that the current system is reactive, fragmented, and under-resourced:
“We need to stop patching holes in a sinking ship. What’s needed is a serious, sustained investment in front-line eating disorder services that are fast, flexible, and fully staffed with trained specialists – from early intervention to intensive outpatient care.”

A Scalable Solution: Community-Based Eating Disorder Hubs

Lamper proposes a bold but achievable vision:

“We need to fund regional, multidisciplinary Eating Disorder Hubs, linked to NHS trusts but operated in partnership with third-sector providers and private specialists. These hubs would offer early assessment, nutritional support, therapy, peer support, and digital monitoring all under one roof.”

Such hubs would:

• Relieve pressure on overstretched CAMHS and adult services
• Reduce hospital admissions through early, preventative care
• Create faster access points for patients across socioeconomic backgrounds
• Bridge the public-private divide by pooling workforce capacity
• Improve continuity of care with one central, locally embedded model

Lamper calls for ring-fenced funding from NHS England’s mental health budget, with matched contributions from Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) and regional public health grants.
“The infrastructure already exists. We just need the will – and the investment – to build something that works.”

CHALLENGING THE DATA – WHAT WAS THE MOST SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGE YOU FACED DURING RECOVERY?

Our research reveals that 37% of people treated for eating disorders cited stigma as their greatest challenge during recovery – even more than managing triggers, accessing resources, or finding adequate support. This finding is deeply concerning, and speaks to an emotional barrier that therapy alone cannot always overcome: shame.

Why is stigma so powerful?

Stigma is not just a social label – it’s a deeply embedded psychological wound. It communicates to those living with an eating disorder that their struggle is misunderstood, trivialised, or judged. It creates a sense of otherness and self-consciousness that intensifies isolation, delays help-seeking, and corrodes self-esteem – all of which are core psychological features of the illness itself.

Stigma is often driven by persistent myths:

• That eating disorders are about vanity or attention-seeking
• That they only affect teenage girls
• That they are choices, not serious mental health conditions
• That people with higher body weights cannot have an eating disorder

These beliefs are not only inaccurate, they are harmful. They invalidate lived experience and make it harder for people to admit they need help. And when those affected internalise these messages – a process known as self-stigma – it can severely impair their motivation for recovery and reinforce disordered behaviours as coping mechanisms.

Stigma delays recovery. And sometimes, it prevents it altogether.

When someone feels shame about their illness, they’re less likely to open up in therapy. Less likely to reach out to loved ones. More likely to hide symptoms. And more likely to disengage from services that could support them.

Even after formal treatment, stigma can affect:

• Workplace disclosure and discrimination
• Social withdrawal and secrecy
• Fear of being judged for weight gain or relapse
• Reluctance to participate in group therapy or support networks

What must change?

• Education must go beyond awareness weeks – embedding lived experience voices into schools, universities, and workplaces to shift cultural understanding.
• Healthcare professionals must receive mandatory training in eating disorder stigma, bias, and body diversity to ensure compassionate care.
• Media and marketing industries must take responsibility for how body ideals and stereotypes are perpetuated – especially in youth culture.
• Clinicians must work explicitly with stigma in therapy, helping clients name, process, and reject shame-based narratives.

Stigma isn’t just a side effect of an eating disorder – it’s part of the system that sustains it. And unless we address it at every level – culturally, socially, and psychologically – we will continue to see people suffer in silence.