A 20-year-old student refused help for serious eating disorder because she was "too fat"

A young woman expressed her horror after learning that she was "too fat" to get help from a professional because of her severe eating disorder.

Sammy Halstead, a 20-year-old from Caerphilly, said her condition was "out of control" before she went to the badessment for a Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) in Cardiff.

But to her horror, she was told that she did not meet the criteria for management of eating disorders by a specialist, her body mbad index (BMI) not being Quite low.

The psychology student told Wales Live that the rejection letter had made her think that she should not take more calories.

Sammy has long struggled with food consumption and compulsive exercise, as well as self-harm and suicide attempts.

"Finding support – before it gets out of hand – was hard enough for me," she said.

"But then receive a letter simply stating that I was too big for them to bother to help me make me think that I was some kind of fraud." .

"The letter haunts me, I think about it every time I eat, that my BMI is too high and that I should not consume calories.

"I have read and heard some very debilitating things from professionals, but nothing that has invalidated my struggles around food like this has been."

Before moving to Cardiff, Sammy was eligible for specialized eating disorders services by the Caerphilly HGCT.

"I saw my nurse once a week, who would offer therapy and support related to my diet and weight problems," she said.

"But as my self-mutilation began to intensify, I was fired from the Eating Disorders Department hoping to get support for other areas of my mental health.

"However, I hardly saw my care coordinator, we did not offer any beneficial treatment and I had the chance to see a psychiatrist three times in addition to one." year."

When she moved to Cardiff last summer, she signed up with a GP in the hope of being referred to her mental health team.

"I told my GP that I needed a crisis intervention, on-site support, and help with my consumption." food, "she said.

"I finally had an badessment that, I believe, was going well, I was fighting to consume something other than a small meal and cups of coffee a day."

"I also felt very physically bad, which my body mbad index would not tell the evaluators."

A few weeks after being weighed at her GP, part of the badessment she knew was required, she received a letter from the CMHC's Links Center based at the Cardiff Royal Hospital. .

It indicated that Sammy's BMI was 17.8, which, although still categorizing his underweight, prevented him from receiving any support.

Instead, ESMT recommended that she seek help from Cardiff University where she was studying.

"If support for eating disorders is based on BMI, then why have I been helped and accepted into a disorderly eating disorder service for seven months (Gwent)? , then sent back to my GP in the other (Cardiff)? "

"There are so many inconsistencies from one health board to another, while they are both very close to each other."

In response, Cardiff and the Vale University Board of Health said, "We are sorry to hear that the patient felt she did not get the support she needed from the team. mental health.

"Cardiff and Vale UHB provide mental health services to people with eating disorders, covering the entire body mbad index (BMI).

"A number of specialized multidisciplinary teams provide support and treatment to people with eating disorders.

"The team collaborates to make decisions about individual cases and practitioners use a range of risk factors such as psychiatric comorbidity, physical health and BMI to determine which part of the service is best suited to l & # 39; individual.

"If the patient wishes to discuss any aspect of his care, we ask him to contact our team of problems."

Last summer, a campaign called "Dump the Scales" was launched. It aims to have patients with eating disorders badessed their mental status and not their physical weight.

He wants the UK governments to fully implement NICE guidelines through general practitioners and clinical training to ensure that people with eating disorders receive treatment before reaching the point. critical.

Hope Virgo, who spearheaded the campaign, said: "When asked to imagine a person with a eating disorder, most will imagine a slim girl, with lean air.

"But this is not the reality of eating disorders." People with eating disorders do not currently benefit from fair treatment in society.

"Despite the advice, all too often people refuse to receive essential support because they are not skinny enough to be considered at risk.

"This leaves the individual feeling that it is not worth getting that support, feeling like a" fake ", potentially losing more weight to reach that target and sometimes feeling suicidal.

"That's why I'm calling on governments to review the guidance provided by clinicians on eating disorders.

"NICE's guidelines are correct, but they are not applied uniformly across the country to the detriment of thousands of people.It's time to stop waiting for people to go into crisis before offer them support. "

In response to the Dump the Scales campaign, a spokesman for the Welsh government said: "To support improvements to eating disorder services, the Welsh government has commissioned Dr. Jacinta Tan 39, University of Swansea, to conduct an independent review of the Reference Framework for Eating Disorders in Wales.

"Dr. Tan presented his findings in November and a targeted consultation is planned to inform future actions that will build on the £ 1.75 million we invest each year to improve services related to health disorders. diet for adults and children. "

For help with a eating disorder, contact the Beat Food Disorders Department at 0808 801 0677 or at www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk