I'm feeling suicidal / I'm worried about someone who might be suicidal.
If you can't find what you're looking for here or in our Index, or have any questions please email us. The Occupational Health team can also help you with expert confidential advice and support.
Spectrum Life is our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) which is a confidential, neutral service provided by an external company to support colleagues at the University, including free counselling.
Eating Disorders
Read stories shared by your colleagues about their experience of eating disorders here.
What is an eating disorder?
"An eating disorder is a mental health condition where you use the control of food to cope with feelings and other situations. Unhealthy eating behaviours may include eating too much or too little or worrying about your weight or body shape. With treatment, most people can recover from an eating disorder."- NHS
Signs of an eating disorder may include:
- spending a lot of time worrying about your weight and body shape
- avoiding socialising when you think food will be involved
- eating very little food
- making yourself sick or taking laxatives after you eat
- exercising too much
- having very strict habits or routines around food
- changes in your mood such as being withdrawn, anxious or depressed
If you or someone you know is experiencing an eating disorder please refer to the support options below.
Spectrum Life
- Spectrum Life is our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) which is a confidential, neutral service provided by an external company to support colleagues at the University.
External Support
- Beat is national charity that supports and empowers people to learn more about and recover from their Eating Disorder. They provide helpline and email support 365 days per year. They also support family and friends, equipping them with essential skills and advice, so they can help their loved ones recover whilst also looking after their own mental health.
- NHS: Find Eating Disorder support in your area
- Mind: Useful contacts
- An 'Eating Disorders self-help guide' has been created by DPT NHS.
- NHS: How to support someone with an Eating Disorder
- The Access to Work Mental Health Support - a confidential service delivered by Remploy funded by the Department of Works and Pensions is available at no charge to any employees with depression, anxiety, stress or other mental health issues affecting their work.
- NHS Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT)- an NHS support you can refer yourself directly to for talking therapies, such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), counselling, other therapies and guided self-help. Local IAPT services are listed below:
- NHS Talkworks (Devon)
- NHS Outlook South West (Cornwall)
- Steps2Wellbeing (Dorset)
- Plymouth Options (Plymouth)
- Somerset Partnership Talking Therapies (Somerset)
- VitaMinds (Bristol, N.Somerset, S.Gloucestershire)
- B&NES Talking Therapies (Bah & N.E. Somerset)
- If you live outside of these areas, you can find your local service using the NHS IAPT Search Tool.