The challenge
There is a growing mental health crisis among children and young people and eating disorders match this trend, increasingly being treated at crisis stage rather than through early intervention. Official figures indicate some 1.25 million people in the UK suffer from some form of each disorder although this number is contested as being conservative. Anorexia has the highest mortality rate of any mental illness.
Why we support
Beat is the leading eating disorder charity in the UK. Their strategy has three pillars (1) Answer the Call: direct support to those in need; (2) Spread the Word: awareness and recognition; (3) Change the Story: policy change, NHS guideline updates and tackling the environment in which eating disorders develop. Beat plays a crucial role in the research ecosystem: connecting researchers with funding and case experience.
Our role
With just 1% of government mental health funding directed to eating disorders, our unrestricted grant supports Beat to extend its reach, strengthen the sector’s collective voice and drive the policy change needed to tackle this serious mental illness.