Worcester researcher calling for change to tackle stigma around eating disorders
George Mycock is a full-time PhD student at the University of Worcester who's been impacted by an eating disorder himself
A Worcester university student impacted by an eating disorder says the stigma around the topic and who it impacts needs to change.
This week is Eating Disorders Awareness Week which aims at focusing on how the disorder can affect anyone.
Around 1 in 50 people in the region struggle with their relationship with food according to Coventry, Warwickshire and Worcestershire Mind.
George Mycock is a full-time PhD student at the University of Worcester, with his main research centring around muscularity oriented psychosocial issues.
He says he suffered with his body image after being forced to stop playing rugby during his teenage years, which led to him developing eating concerns and behaviours.
"Eating disorders have been spoken about for a long time but there's this stereotype that it only affects certain people and that isn't the case," he said.
"For me, there was an element of this leanness that I wanted, I wanted to have a six-pack and veins, it was the idea though that I wanted to get muscular, I didn't want to lose as much weight as possible.
"What helped me was finding things that I can like and love about myself that aren't about the way my body looks or how I perform in the gym, that helped me separate that from me and allowed me to behave in a way which wasn't disordered and still feel good about myself."
Eating disorder charity Beat estimate at least 1.25 million people in the UK are living with an eating disorder.
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