'I'm terrified of food - but I can't get specialist eating disorder treatment'

A woman whose wait for a diagnosis of a lesser known eating disorder left her feeling like a "problem that cannot be solved" has called for reform of how the condition is treated by Northern Ireland's health service.

Sinead Quinn, from Londonderry, said binge eating compulsions had made her "a prisoner in her own home, afraid of food and afraid of herself".

Binge Eating Disorder (BED) is not currently treated by eating disorder services in Northern Ireland - patients are instead referred to general mental health services.

The Department of Health said regional adult eating disorder services were commissioned to treat anorexia, bulimia and atypical presentations of these conditions.

BED is the second most common eating disorder in the UK, after atypical eating disorders, according to UK health assessment body NICE, external.

The Department of Health said it did not collate data on how many people in Northern Ireland are living with BED.

It also said there was no current review of the way the condition is treated.

Experts say specialist care within the health service is urgently needed to help people get a formal diagnosis and recover from BED.

Prof Laura McGowan, from the Centre for Public Health at Queen's University, hopes the recently announced roll-out of a regional obesity management service for Northern Ireland would include screening of eating disorders like BED.

"BED is simply not widely recognised and the services for it not widely commissioned," she said.

"For BED patients, especially those living with obesity, there is such an unmet need."

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Source: BBC News, 5 June 2025