According to a recent report by the Health Research Board (HRB), the number of admissions for eating disorders to child and adolescent inpatient units, has more than doubled in the last 5 years, from 33 in 2018 to 80 in 2022. Eating disorders are serious and complex mental health conditions with increased risk of mortality. Bodywhys is the national voluntary organisation supporting people affected by eating disorders and their families in Ireland.

Harriet Parsons, Training & Development Manager with Bodywhys said “When a person develops an eating disorder it affects the whole family – family life becomes stressful, relationships change and anxiety becomes the norm. Families need support to cope with this.

“Parents in a supporting role have many needs; education, information, emotional and practical support. They can feel isolated and alone. In order to cope and support their family member with an eating disorder, the family in turn need to be supported so that they can have the resilience to see the person recover.

“Bodywhys has been running PiLaR, our family support programme, in an online capacity to provide this much needed support, with over 3,500 family members throughout the country having attended since 2020. We have extended our suite of services to provide additional support for families. A person does not need a diagnosis to avail of this support” added Harriet Parsons.

People can and do recover from eating disorders

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Notes for Editors

•  Bodywhys is the national voluntary organisation supporting people affected by eating disorders. An estimated 188,895 people in Ireland will experience an eating disorder at some point in their lives. ((HSE), National Clinical Programme for Eating Disorders)
• Bodywhys next PiLaR programme for family members, parents and carers starts on: Thursday, September 14th 2023, running from 7pm – 9pm. To book a free place, please fill out our online booking form here or contact Christopher via: pilar@bodywhys.ie
• We have recently launched a new resource – Eating Disorders: A Guide for Families which can be found here: https://www.bodywhys.ie/new-resource-family-guide/
• Bodywhys Online Support Groups, for men, students, teenagers and adults are available at: www.bodywhys.ie
• Annual Report on the Activities of Irish Psychiatric Units and Hospitals, 2022 (Health Research Board)
• Email support and a listening ear can be accessed via: alex@bodywhys.ie
• Bodywhys Helpline Number: 01 2107906

For further information, please contact: