We asked young people about who they turn to for help. Here’s what we learned.

The theme of this year’s Eating Disorder Awareness Week is ‘Community’. Recovery from an eating disorder, or any mental health difficulty, is much easier when people have a support network to draw upon. 

SWEDA staff regularly visit FE colleges in and around Somerset and we wanted to ask students about their experiences of asking for and receiving help from others around them. Who do they turn to when things feel difficult? What kind of support really works for them?

Here are some key lessons from the survey:

• Over half of young people told us they were worried that if they reached out for support, they would not get it. This really highlights the importance of creating safe spaces. Places where young people feel like they can open up about their mental health and get the support they’re looking for.
• 70% shared that they just wanted somebody to listen, without telling them what to do. It showed us that simply listening, without trying to fix things, is often a very powerful way to help young people feel supported.
• Over 62% told us that while having support from their community helps, that it wasn’t enough by itself. Support from communities is important, but it’s part of a bigger picture, a range of support. Young people need to be able to access professional help too.

It’s a very insightful and timely study for #EatingDisordersAwarenessWeek. It highlights the vital role that families, schools, youth leaders, and wider communities have to play in supporting youth mental health. It also brings home that professional services like SWEDA is an essential lifeline for many young people.

Want to learn more? Take a look at the whole survey here.