Eating Disorders Awareness Week 2024

That the Parliament recognises that the week of 26 February to 3 March is Eating Disorders Awareness Week 2024, and that the theme for 2024 is avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID); understands that eating disorders affect one in 50 people across Scotland and the wider UK, and that more people lose their lives due to eating disorders than any other mental health condition; further understands that ARFID is a largely unknown and misunderstood eating disorder, which can have serious consequences for health if left untreated; considers that the number of people affected by ARFID is unknown, and that treatment is not currently available nationwide, with many people with ARFID, or those who suspect they may have the condition, reporting difficulty in accessing treatment and support both in Scotland and across the whole of the UK; welcomes the work of Beat Eating Disorders, a UK-wide charity working to support those living with eating disorders, and their families; understands that, in 2023 alone, Beat provided more support in Scotland than ever before thanks to what it sees as generous funding from the Scottish Government, but that demand has been so high that Beat reports that it has had to pause sign-ups to many of its programmes; welcomes the Scottish Government’s funding of £120 million in 2022 for the Mental Health Recovery and Renewal Fund, with a focus on additional support for mental health in primary care settings and enhanced community support; notes the calls for the Scottish Government to provide an update on its current work to support all those impacted by an eating disorder, and to set out how it will ensure that crucial eating disorder services are protected within what it considers to be the challenging fiscal landscape, and further notes that anyone in Scotland with concerns about an eating disorder can seek support either from their GP surgery, which can point them to the most appropriate healthcare provider, or from Beat, which can be contacted seven days a week on 0808 801 0432 or through its helpful website, beateatingdisorders.org.uk.