Robert Lloyd - a Sir Gar Blog of random news . . . and some Clecs!

Hywel Dda Health Board | Improving treatment for individuals with eating disorders The number of people developing eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia is on the increase in Wales with around 1,000 new cases diagnosed each year. It most commonly affects young women between the ages of 15 and 25, although many young men are also being diagnosed with disorders, and its effects can be devastating. Many sufferers end up with long term physical and emotional problems, and in a small number of cases, it can be life-threatening.

The spotlight is falling on eating disorders with a special health promotion event at Trinity University College, Carmarthen, next week (February 22). Health experts will be on hand at a special campaign launch to mark the start of Eating Disorders Awareness Week. “It is important for students to be aware of any potential problems they may have with eating disorders,” said one of the organisers of the event, Trinity student counsellor Jean Harris. An eating disorder is both an obsession with food and an expression of emotional distress. Thoughts and behaviour relating to food, body weight and size are a means of dealing with emotional pain that cannot be expressed satisfactorily in another way. An eating disorder is a way of coping and often a way of avoiding dealing with hidden issues. People with an eating disorder generally feel that they have little control over their lives, except over what they eat. Student counsellor Jean Harris said she had the following advice for students – “...