If someone you know is being bullied, it is important for them to realise that they can talk about it and that help is available, both to support them and help prevent further bullying. Try to encourage children to discuss these things with you. The following links and phone numbers also offer someone to talk to about bullying online:

www.edauk.com

www.eatingdisorderscentre.co.uk

Text/phone helpline service 01603 753322

Youth helpline 0845 634 7650

Boys, girls, men and women from all types of background and ethnic groups can suffer from eating disorders, but in general it primarily affects women and especially adolescent girls in Western society.

Cultural factors like media promotion of thinness as the ideal female form are thought to play a role in causing eating disorders. In recent years, the internet has enabled anorexics and bulimics to contact and communicate with each other outside of a treatment environment, with lower risks of rejection by mainstream society. While most support the view of eating disorders as conditions to be cured, some have formed online communities that argue that it is a 'lifestyle choice'.

Using the internet for mutual support, these resources typically contain online journals, tips and tricks for successful anorexia or bulimia, motivational pictures of thin women, quotations, and chat rooms or message boards where users can communicate and to swap weight-loss tips. They can also contain competitions for weightloss and methods to avoid detection.

These online activities may help to reinforce, legitimise and make eating disorders seem healthy and normal. They can play a role in encouraging or maintaining eating disorders and potentially interfere with treatment. By doing this they may pose possible physical health risks which could ultimately end in death. Worries about weight, shape and eating are common, especially among teenage girls. A lot of young people, many of whom are NOT overweight in the first place, want to be thinner. For some, these worries about weight can develop through obsession into a serious eating disorder. Any kind of material which encourages, legitimises or helps maintain this is a potential problem. For these reasons a number of eating disorder related web-sites have already been taken offline.

If you think that you or someone you know might be suffering from an eating disorder, the first thing to do is try and talk about it. There are also links at the top of this page to organizations that you can contact for anonymous advice. It is also important to try and seek professional medical advice if possible. Your general practitioner will be able to advise you about what specialist help is available locally and be able to arrange a referral for further treatment. If an eating disorder is causing physical pain or ill health, it is essential to get medical help as quickly as possible. These are some signs to look out for if you are worried about anorexia or bulimia:
o Weight loss or unusual weight changes
o Periods being irregular or stopping
o Missing meals, eating very little and avoiding `fattening' foods
o Avoiding eating in public, secret eating
o Large amounts of food disappearing from the cupboards
o Believing they are fat when underweight
o Exercising excessively
o Becoming preoccupied with food, cooking for other people
o Going to the bathroom or toilet immediately after meals
o Using laxatives and vomiting to control weight.

Click the following links for eating disorders bullying
EDUK
Eating Disorders Centre
Text/phone helpline service 01603 753322 Youth helpline 0845 634 7650

For those of you want to report something now – go straight to our report abuse page. Occasionally when using the internet or a mobile phone you may see, receive or experience something which causes you concern. You might, for instance, receive an e-mail which is offensive or abusive. You may experience harassment online, spam advertising, or content you find offensive such as pornography, or pro-anorexia sites. Alternatively you may think you have been the victim of a crime such as identity theft or online fraud. In such situations it is important to know to whom you can report issues. This section introduces you to some of the main organisations who offer help and advice on internet safety issues.