World Mental Health Day: Spotlight on Eating Disorders

October 10, 2024 | by Gemma

The official theme for this year’s World Mental Health Day (10 October) - It is time to prioritise mental health in the workplace - impelled us to reflect on the many different ways people are affected by mental health issues, and how some conditions still remain heavily stigmatised.

To make the day a little brighter, the team dressed in bright yellow to participate in YoungMind’s ‘Hello Yellow’ campaign which aims to show young people they aren’t alone in their mental health (https://www.youngminds.org.uk/)

We gathered to discuss mental health in the workplace and asked ourselves, “Would we feel comfortable sharing a mental health concern with our colleagues?”

While we agreed that some mental health issues, such as anxiety or minor depression are perhaps easier to share with our peers, we all agreed that talking about and highlighting an eating disorder would be significantly more challenging.

This prompted us to approach Beat, the UK’s leading eating disorder charity, who we have been lucky enough to provide media training to, to ask if we could help them raise awareness about eating disorders this World Mental Health Day.

Through our work with Beat, we have come to learn so much more about eating disorders, such as:

Beat estimates that 1.25 million people in the UK have an eating disorder

1 in 4 of those are male

Men face increased stigma because eating disorders are heavily gendered and often associated with ‘femininity’

Eating disorders are serious mental health illnesses

Eating disorders are not about food itself, but are used as a way to cope with a difficult situation or feelings, although the person may be unaware of this

How employers can support their employees

Tom Quinn, Beat’s Director of External Affairs, kindly gave us some helpful tips to share, outlining how employers can provide support to employees should they disclose they have an eating disorder: “Eating disorders affect everyone differently, but the first signs are likely to be behavioural or psychological rather than physical.

“It is fairly typical for them to experience tiredness, partly through difficulty sleeping and partly through their reduced calorie intake. They are also likely to be struggling with low confidence and self-esteem, difficulty concentrating, and anxiety around food. They may also experience feelings of shame, guilt and irritability, and may become increasingly withdrawn.

“This can impact their working life in different ways. There may be an increase in the number of sick days a person takes, or they may start being late to work. There may also be changes in their focus or standard of work, or they may appear less interested in tasks they would usually enjoy, alongside other changes in their behaviour.

“Employers have a duty of care towards their employees and should take any concerns seriously. No two people are the same, so the support required will differ from person to person, which makes keeping an open mind and being as flexible as possible very important.

“At the earliest opportunity, and ideally before an employee discloses an eating disorder or concerns about their health, employers should create a supportive environment by making sure

“Employers should be able to signpost employees affected by an eating disorder to sources of support such as their GP or Beat and should give them time off for appointments.

“They can also provide support by having regular check-ins with the employee, during which they can offer reassurance and discuss any reasonable adjustments that could be made, such as flexible or hybrid working.

“What is fundamentally important is that these check-ins should always include listening without judgement in a safe space.”

- Tom Quinn, Beat’s Director of External Affairs

At Mosaic, we recognise the enormous value that people – our staff, our clients and our suppliers - bring to our organisation, which is why we want to help Beat remove the stigma and raise awareness of the help available to anyone who is affected by an eating disorder.

If you or someone you know is affected by an eating disorder, contact Beat today.

Contact Beat

Beat website – https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk.

Help is also available via email and webchat - Helplines - Beat (beateatingdisorders.org.uk) and by phone through their dedicated helplines:

England 0808 801 0677
Scotland 0808 801 0432
Wales 0808 801 0433
Northern Ireland 0808 801 0434

These helplines are open Monday to Friday 3pm-8pm, are free to call from landlines and mobile phones and do not appear on itemised bills. They are for people of all ages, offering support and information about eating disorders no matter where you are in your journey.