Patient resources

There are literally thousands of apps designed to support our health and wellbeing, but it can be difficult to know which ones are worth investing your time and money in. We have teamed up with ORCHA (the Organisation for the Review of Care and Health Applications) to help with this. ORCHA carry out independent and impartial reviews of each app. If you go to the ORCHA website and type in the problem/difficulty you would like support with, and select your mobile platform, it will then list the available apps for you. They all have additional information about them and a percentage score.

One particular app which some of our service users find helpful is Recovery Record. Recovery Record allows you to monitor behaviours, thought and feelings, to use more healthy coping skills to challenge and change some of your behaviours, and to set up reminders for things like mealtimes.

Books can be an easily available way to access self-help treatment, techniques to improve areas such as body image, and to learn more about the eating disorder. Our service runs a Books on Prescription scheme in which certain books can be leant free of charge, or the books can also be purchased from many retailers.

The books we offer in our Books on Prescription scheme include:

Anorexia

  • Overcoming Anorexia Nervosa by Christopher Freeman
  • Anorexia Nervosa: A Survival Guide for Families, Friends and Sufferers by Treasure and Schmidt
  • Hunger for Understanding: A Workbook for Helping Young People to Understand and Overcome Anorexia Nervosa - Eivors

Binge Eating

  • Compassionate Mind Approach to Beating Overeating by Ken Goss
  • Overcoming Bulimia and Binge Eating by Christopher Fairburn
  • Getting Better Bit(e) by Bit(e): A Survival Kit for Sufferers of Bulimia Nervosa and Binge Eating Disorders by Treasure and Schmidt

Body Image

  • The Body Image Workbook: An Eight-Step Program for Learning to Like Your Looks by Thomas Cash
  • Banish Your Body Image Thief (Gremlin and Thief CBT Workbooks) by Collins-Donnelly

Bulimia

  • Overcoming Bulimia and Binge Eating by Christopher Fairburn
  • Getting Better Bit(e) by Bit(e): A Survival Kit for Sufferers of Bulimia Nervosa and Binge Eating Disorders by Treasure and Schmidt
  • The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook for Bulimia by Astrachan-Fletcher and Maslar

The Centre for Clinical Interventions: provides online resources to help with problems such as body dysmorphia and depression. The resources are not a substitute for treatment, but can be helpful self-help tools. 

Beat: Beat are the UK's leading eating disorder charity. They run a helpline for anyone affected by eating disorders, email and social media support. They also run daily online support groups for both people with an eating disorder or who are struggling with their eating, and their loved ones. These groups are moderated by a helpline advisor to ensure that they are both safe and pro-recovery. Beat also have a number of resources on their website including recovery information such as how to tell someone you have an eating disorder, and what to do when worried about someone. 

Tabitha Farrar: is the author of Love Fat, an educational memoir of recovery from an eating disorder and a recovery coach who has herself recovered from an eating disorder. She writes blog posts and creates podcasts which address issues such as the difficulties with refeeding and set weights.

Carer and family resources 

Caring and supporting someone with an eating disorder can be extremely emotional, isolating and exhausting. It is important to make sure that you have support in place for yourself too. Best practice guidelines recognise this, and state that family members or carers should also be assessed to see what support they require.

Often family members or carers can feel guilty, or that they are responsible for the eating disorder, however it is important to remember that this is not the case. Instead, research has indicated how useful family involvement is in helping someone overcome their eating disorder, particularly for younger patients who have been unwell for a shorter period of time.

Often carers say that knowledge is power; they feel more able to care for their loved one after learning more about their difficulties. We have therefore put together resources to help provide education about eating disorders, how to support your loved one, and where to seek support for yourself.

Skills-based Caring for a Loved One with an Eating Disorder' by Janet Treasure

Skills-based Caring equips carers with the skills and knowledge needed to support those suffering from an eating disorder, and to help them to break free from the traps that prevent recovery. Through a coordinated approach, it offers detailed techniques and strategies, which aim to improve professionals' and carers' ability to build continuity of support for their loved ones. Using evidence-based research and personal experience, the authors advise the reader on a number of difficult areas in caring for someone with an eating disorder

Survive FBT Skills Manual for Parents Undertaking Family Based Treatment (FBT) for Child and Adolescent Anorexia Nervosa' by Maria Ganci

This book is a valuable resource for parents commencing FBT and for parents struggling during treatment. It offers clear, practical advice and empowers parents to confront whatever the illness throws at them. It is also an important resource for clinicians and will help them guide their families through treatment.

Anorexia and other Eating Disorders: how to help your child eat well and be well: Practical solutions, compassionate communication tools and emotional support for parents of children and teenagers' by Eva Musby

In Anorexia and Other Eating Disorders, Eva Musby draws on her family's successful use of evidence-based treatment to empower you to support your child through recovery.

  • Learn practical and effective mealtime skills
  • Help your child to eat well and be free of fears and compulsions
  • Know what to say and what not to say in highly charged situations
  • Recognise the treatments that work and the ones that don't
  • Develop your own emotional resources

  • Beat: Beat are the UK's leading eating disorder charity. They offer support for people who have or are worried they have an eating disorder, and those supporting them or who are affected. Beat provide support and information about eating disorders through their helplines, one to one instant chat, social media and emails. Beat also run moderated online groups and message boards, to allow peer support.
  • Families Empowered and Supporting Treatment of Eating Disorders: F.E.A.S.T is an international organisation that supports and empowers carers of those with eating disorders, through providing information and peer support. It allows carers to connect with each other through forums, such as Around the Dinner Table and a closed Facebook group ATDT Carer Support Group.
  • Eva Musby, Anorexia Family: Eva Musby, author of Anorexia and other Eating Disorders provides video and audio resources which aim to help you learn very fast how you can help your child to eat in spite of the eating disorder, and what to do at mealtimes. Her audio resources also aim to help parents restore their own wellbeing, and be compassionate towards themselves.

It is important to ensure that you are looking after yourself, as well as the person you are supporting. The resources below provide options as where to seek more information and support for yourself.

  • Talking Therapies: Talking Therapies provide help for people over the age of 16, who may be experiencing difficulties such as stress, anxiety or depression. You are able to self-refer to the service via the website.
  • GP: Your GP is there to support you, and can refer you into the local Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) service, who provide talking therapies.
  • Carers Link Lancashire: Carers Link provide support for people caring for a loved one, family member, friend or neighbour. You are able to register as a carer via their website, then they will contact you about the services they provide within 3 working days.