27/02/2026
The Eating Disorder Service within the Western Trust is highlighting Eating Disorder Awareness Week (23 February to 01 March 2026) by encouraging anyone experiencing eating related difficulties to please reach out for help.
To coincide with Eating Disorder Awareness Week, the Managed Care Network for Eating Disorders within Northern Ireland (EDMCN) launched the ‘Strategic Framework and Three Year Implementation Plan’ and also used the week to acknowledge 20 years of service provision to clients experiencing eating disorders within the region, from Child & Adolescent/Adult Mental Health Services in addition to support provided within the community and voluntary sector.
Jenny Doran, Team Manager, Eating Disorder Service said:
“The Adult Eating Disorder Service in the Western Trust is a specialist service that offer psychological/dietetic and occupational therapy to people experiencing an eating disorder aged 18-65. Treatment for people under 18 years of age is offered by specialist practitioners within the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service.
“If you or someone you care for is experiencing eating related difficulties, please be aware that help is available. The first step is to contact your GP or Mental Health Practitioner to discuss the treatment options available to you, to receive support and for onward referral to the service that can be of most help to you.
Jenny added,
“We are very grateful to Daniel Collins for speaking about his eating disorder and the help and support he received through our Eating Disorder Service.”
Daniel explains:
“I’m Daniel Collins, a former service user with the Western Trust’s eating disorder service in Derry.
For years I was stuck in a vicious all-or nothing cycle. I’d starve myself, overdo cardio and drop to dangerously low weights. I thought I was in control, but really, food was in control of me.Then I’d hit a breaking point, give in to insatiable cravings, binge uncontrollably, gain weight rapidly, spiral into shame and self-loathing and lose all motivation.
“At the root of this drive to be as lean as possible was body dysmorphia. I believed my body was fundamentally flawed. I hid it under layers and avoided situations where I feared exposure. As a teen, I was mocked for being “flabby” and “having tits”. As a young man, I felt isolated, wrongly thinking this was a “women’s issue”. That stigma delayed me getting proper help for so long.When I finally engaged with the Eating Disorder Service, things began to change. I learned about regular eating, balanced nutrition and the psychology and patterns driving my behaviour. I was given reassurance as a man, as well as tools, structure, guidance and a vocabulary to understand and navigate what I was experiencing.
“Recovery wasn’t linear, however. I relapsed during COVID when my routine collapsed, but the Eating Disorder Service team were there for me again. I re-engaged, kept applying the tools, incorporated strength training into my lifestyle, realised that building a strong physique actually required eating more and not less, gradually grew more comfortable with eating more and thankfully managed to escape the rut.
“Today, my relationship with food, exercise and my body is radically different. It is sustainable and healthy. I train hard, but now I fuel myself properly. I eat well and am happy with how I look. In fact, my commitment to training has enabled me to compete in rowing on the national and international stages and I even have national indoor championship gold and silver medals to my name. The same body I once hid is now something I’m proud of; strong, healthy and capable.
If you’re struggling, know this: Reaching out to the service and walking through the door for the first time can feel scary, but it can be the step that changes your entire future.
There is help available. There’s support out there. Change is possible, and it can lead to achievements you never thought possible.”