Debate contribution: Regional Eating Disorder Service

Debate contribution by Mr Colin McGrath on 3 March 2026.

MLA

Mr Colin McGrath

Party at the time

Social Democratic and Labour Party

Date

3 March 2026

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Regional Eating Disorder Service

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5434995

Read the official Assembly record

Text

It goes to the power of these sorts of awareness weeks that we are able to have debates that allow us the opportunity to raise the profile of important issues. Often, they are on issues that are not spoken about in our community, so it gives us the chance to amplify awareness of the various conditions and provide a beacon of support for people who are suffering from them. Whilst this is a Chamber in which there are deeply political debates — I think of debates that took place here just a few hours ago — I am glad that, when it comes to debates like this on issues that are deeply personal for people, we are always able to switch and get the right tone. Recently, I was contacted by a young person in my constituency who said something about eating disorders that I will never be able to forget:

"Even though they are so dangerous and life-threatening, we never get educated on them in school. No awareness is brought to them and how affecting they can be".

Young people do not even get educated about eating disorders in school. Imagine being a young person who has a condition that is just not spoken about. It must be really difficult to deal with that, never mind the fact that you have an issue that you would like to get some help with. The statistics that have been referenced are nearly as stark as the fact that we do not talk about the issue enough. There could be 37,500 people with an eating disorder. That is the population of a large town. Imagine going into a big town and knowing that every single person who lives there has an eating condition. If we had those numbers in one place, we would do something about it, but because those affected are spread out and the issue is kept behind closed doors, people feel a sense of isolation. It almost becomes hidden, which compounds the difficulties that people face.

We know that one in six young people has an eating disorder. One in six. Admissions for eating disorders to the general adolescent inpatient unit nearly tripled between 2019 and 2024, which is a frightening escalation. We all know how quickly a mandate can go by, but if we do not do something about the situation and admissions continue to triple in such a period of time, we will lose control of it. The mental health strategy was costed at £1·2 billion over 10 years, but during 2024 and 2025, only £12·3 million was allocated — just 16% of what was deemed necessary for one year. We are going to miss the target 84% of the time because of the spend that we direct to the strategy and to our response to many other issues that impact most people in our society in some form but especially our young people. We cannot pretend that that statistic does not have some form of consequence. We may have to deal with the health consequences, but people have to deal with the mental health consequences for their families and their communities. There will also be issues when it comes to education and employment. If we do not invest money and deal with the issues in one place, we will end up spending money dealing with them in other places whilst putting those affected through the trauma of getting to the solution. Eating disorders are not lifestyle choices as some people might think. They are not phases; they are serious mental illnesses with the highest mortality rates of any psychiatric condition. They distort self-perception, damage the body, isolate the individual and devastate families. I acknowledge that the motion is not about criticism for the sake of it; it is about trying to get something done urgently. When the Minister responds, I hope that he recognises that this is not about people coming at him from all angles to criticise the Department or the Executive; it is about the sense of urgency that exists to fix the situation. If there are 37,500 people in our community who are impacted, we need to get something done. To anyone who is watching the debate, I say this: you are not weak, you are not vain and you are not beyond help. Support exists; please reach out for it.

728 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 15:02 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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