Let’s Talk: Eating Disorders
At least 1.25 million people in the UK - about 1 in 50 people - are living with an eating disorder. Eating disorders can affect anyone, regardless of age, background, or lifestyle. This Eating Disorder Awareness Week (Monday 24 February - Sunday 2 March), the focus is on breaking stereotypes and highlighting that anyone can be affected by an eating disorder.
Jenny Tan is an undergraduate Psychology student at the University of Surrey, currently in her placement year working as a research assistant at the University. Jenny shares her story of her battle with anorexia.
I was diagnosed with anorexia nervosa in March 2020. Anorexia is one of the more well-known types of restrictive eating disorders, but as eating disorders themselves are still treated as taboo, that’s not really saying much.
No one likes to talk about something they don’t understand, so eating disorders go largely neglected from the public eye – even when the physical symptoms become very visible. I actually started to develop symptoms of an eating disorder in the summer of 2018, nearly two years before my diagnosis. But I faded into the background, physically and mentally, because for a teenager, acknowledging a taboo is worse than swearing in front of your headteacher. I decided I was ‘attention-seeking’ and convinced myself that my behaviour was in fact both healthy and normal. I was very, very wrong.
When I did finally receive my diagnosis, I discovered that speaking the unspeakable was only the tip of the iceberg. I then had the long road to recovery stretching out in front of me, and it looked endless.
Everyone tells you that recovery is bumpy, but no one could have predicted the bump I encountered during my treatment. Perhaps due to lack of awareness, eating disorders still fall victim to social stereotypes – namely, that anyone with an eating disorder must be female and white. I tick one box, but (not for the first time) my skin colour let me down. I am half Chinese, half English, it proved to be a total headache for my NHS clinicians. The calculations they rely on to determine an individual’s healthy weight is solely based on data from white people, and does not accommodate anyone from any other ethnic background.
To make matters worse, I’m mixed race, which appeared to make things even more complicated. This obstacle drastically derailed my recovery, and I was left in limbo while my medical team argued over my ‘situation’ (read: problem I created by choice, not by birth).
Eventually, they decided the only solution was to admit me to hospital for some physical scans. We were in the middle of a global pandemic at the time, so sending someone to hospital was easier said than done. I was stuck on a waiting list for months, and it wasn’t until the end of that year that I finally heard back about the results of my scans.
Unfortunately, at that time my clinician retired and I was discharged from the service. Back to limbo. I got through my last year of sixth-form college and my A-Levels, but I was forced to reach out again when things started going downhill after my exams. I’m lucky to be in a position where I can afford private healthcare, at least in the short-term – and as Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services refused to refer me on to adult services, I didn’t have much choice.
After some extensive internet research, my family found me a local eating disorder service who could offer me weekly therapy, starting whenever I needed. I have been attending these weekly sessions ever since.
Jenny with fellow members of Team Surrey at the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) 2025 Cross-Country Championships in Cardiff
Jenny with fellow members of Team Surrey at the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) 2025 Cross-Country Championships in Cardiff
I want to make the most of my time at Surrey – I’m an active member of lots of societies, including Dodgeball, Mountaineering and Running & Athletics. Some would argue I’m an even more regular attendee of Rubix (although I’ve only won the Rubix Resident Award ONCE!). I know that if I want to run, dance in Rubix and engage in my studies and survive, then I have to eat.
And in the grand scheme of things, that actually feels pretty worth it.
Support is available
If you’re affected by the issues in this article, you can find support from our University support services.
The local NHS Eating Disorders Service will be outside the Co-op on Stag Hill campus on Wednesday 26 February 11am - 3pm to raise awareness of eating disorders and can answer any questions you may have.
If you are concerned about your relationship with food and your body you should seek support from your GP. Please also be aware that the Centre for Wellbeing offers a range of pastoral services to ensure that our students feel well supported throughout their time at the University. We have a number of mental health practitioners who can support students with complex or chronic mental health conditions and an eating disorder specialist who can provide support, wherever you are on your journey to recovery.
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