No Bodies Perfect Autumn Newsletter 2012

Scotland’s Charity for Eating Disorders

No Bodies Perfect Events

Male Binge Eating Disorder

Anorexia and the Internet

Focus on Purging Disorder

Tips on Going to a Support Group

Fundraising

Support Forum for Sufferers and Carers

.... and lots more!

your voice counts : recovery existsCopyright 2012 by Alexandra O'Brien and No Bodies Perfect © All rights reserved

Autumn 2012 Newsletter

Eating Disorders Support Forum For Sufferers and Carers LauncheS

Friday 31st August, 2012

During August I worked hard on developing an Eating Disorders Support Forum for both sufferers and carers. There are forums spe-cifically for sufferers and carers. No Bodies Perfect hopes that the Fo-rum will provide some extra support to those experiencing eating disorders. You must register on the Forum but anyone can register – sufferers and carers alike. Anyone, in any location, can gain support from the Forum, which will be moderated and which also has User Rules that will ensure a safe and supportive environment. The Forum was launched on Friday 31st August and has been met with a great response. Already there is a community of eating disorder sufferers using the Forum to help and support each other, as well as getting to know each other a bit more. It has been a life-line for some people who would not have a voice otherwise.

The Forum is a safe place to chat, voice your worries and concerns, share news, and get help and support for eating disorders and other things that you may be experiencing. The Forum is maintained by an Admin and several Forum Moderators, who have received training and handbooks on how to manage the Forum. We are very excited about the Forum and we encourage as many eating disorder suffer-ers and carers (and anyone else affected by eating disorders) to use it for extra support and information. The Eating Disorders Support Forum for Sufferers and can be accessed at www.nbp-eating-disorders.co.uk/forum By Alexandra O’Brien

Strathclyde Fresher’s Fair 2012

No Bodies Perfect were proud to be part of the Strath-clyde University Fresher’s Fair 2012 held at Strath-clyde University Union on Wednesday 19th September. Armed with bundles of leaflets and business cards a group of the No Bodies Perfect volunteers faced the hundreds of eager new students who we hoped were not just after freebies! It was a fantastic opportunity to promote No Bodies Perfect and to provide informa-tion on eating disorders to the students (and anyone else who was there!). We also met some individuals who work with young people and were concerned about eat-ing disorders.

It was great to see that people are keen to learn more about eating disorders and ways they can help. Lots of students were also interested in volunteering and supporting No Bodies Perfect at future events, which was very exciting. Overall, I think the day was a great success and we really enjoyed being part of the Fresher’s Fair. We would like to thank Strathclyde University Union for the opportunity and to all the students who got involved.

By Sarah McFarline

No Bodies Perfect Celebrates 100 Support

Group Meetings

In June 2012, No Bodies Perfect celebrated their 100th sup-port group meeting. No Bodies Perfect holds support group ses-sions for eating disorder sufferers every Monday evening, from 5:45pm – 7:30pm. This was a massive achievement given the project only started in May 2012. This also marked No Bodies Perfect having supported over 250 people since May 2010 in a face-to-face capacity at support group meetings, and many more 100a of people via their information service, enquiries, Coffee and Chat Clubs, Arts and Creative Sessions, Support Website, Live Support Chat-room, online, and much more.

For more information about the No Bodies Perfect Support Group Meetings or any of their other support and information service, please get in touch by email: [email protected] or via our Contact Form on our official website: www.nbp-eating-disorders.co.uk

By Alexandra O’Brien

RECOVERY REPRESENTATIVES WANTED

As some of you may already know, No Bodies Perfect started a new initiative in late 2011, called the Recovery Represent-atives Group. We already have six Recovery Representatives (RRs) and are looking to recruit some more people to become Recovery Representatives in Scotland. There may also be op-portunities to join our Eating Disorders community Aware-ness Group, Board of Trustees or help the charity in other ways.

RRs are males and females, over 18, who have recovered from any form of eating disorder or eating and food problem. RRs are positive role models who are pro-recovery and who help raise awareness of eating disorders in Scotland. They also provide support, guidance and understanding to those cur-rently struggling with an eating disorder and provide them with hope, inspiration and show that RECOVERY IS POSSIBLE!

Interested? Please email us at [email protected] for a Role Description and application. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

By Alexandra O’BrienCHARITY DIRECTOR

Research Focus

Young People, the Internet and Anorexia: Support is Important

Young people use the Internet for the purpose of connecting with other people more than any other group (Lenhart, Rainie & Lewis, 2001). Chat-rooms, forums and social networking sites such as Fa-cebook, all provide adolescents with an easy way to communicate with other people from all over the world. Adolescents can also use online search engines such as Google to search and get infor-mation on any topics they are interested in, such as sex, drugs, di-eting or self-harm. Unfortunately, there is little control over what people can put online and many writers argue that young people are being exposed to extremely harmful information. ‘Extreme on-line communities’ is a term that has been given to online groups that discuss topics that are not usually acceptable in mainstream society. They include pro-anorexia, pro-injury and pro-suicide.

Pro-anorexia websites: What are the effects?

Pro-anorexia websites are said to promote anorexic behaviour. These are commonly known as ‘pro-Ana’ websites and young people can access these quite easily from a search engine. Re-searchers wanted to highlight common characteristics found in pro-anorexia, pro-recovery and professional organisation web-

sites (Chesley, Alberts, Klein and Kreipe, 2003). Pro-recovery web-sites are for those recovering from anorexia and professional sites include clinical information about eating disorders. They argued that the pro-Ana sites in their sample gave specific instructions for instigating and sustaining anorexia. They found that 58% gave medical/weight advice, 91% involved nutritional content, meth-ods to avoid detection was found in 75%, support groups was 49% and motivational content was found in 94%. Mortality associated with anorexia was only found in 5% of their pro-Ana website sam-ple.

In the pro-recovery websites the strongest findings were biogra-phy (found in 94% of the sample) and motivational content (92%). The mortality associated with anorexia was found in 38% of the sample, which is a great deal higher than the pro-Ana websites. In terms of the professional websites, a mission statement was found in 100% of the sample, and the mortality associated with

anorexia was found in 22%. The authors (Chesley and colleagues, 2003) suggest that the pro-Ana sites outnumber the recovery and professional sites and have the potential to harm.

Researchers have also found that young people viewing pro-Ana websites experienced greater negative effect, lower social self-es-teem and appearance self-efficacy and perceived themselves as heavier. They also reported greater likelihood of exercising and thinking about their weight in the near future and engaged in more image comparison (Bardone-Cone and Cass, 2007). In terms of the websites affecting behaviour, research has found that 96% of the adolescents viewing pro-eating-disorder websites learned new weight loss or purging techniques, with 69.2% reporting us-ing these techniques. Finally, they found that those who viewed pro-eating-disorder websites were ill longer, and were hospital-ised more than those who did not (Wilson, Peebles, Hardy and Litt, 2006). Pro-eating-disorder users reported that the main rea-son was for motivation for weight loss, followed by support and to meet others with eating disorders. Pro-recovery users also re-ported that they used the sites for support and to meet others with eating disorders. Therefore it is crucial to note the impor-tance of social support across different levels of recovery.

Internet-based therapy

As the Internet has become such an important tool for both social-ising and information seeking, it seems appropriate that it should be used to help young people and provide healthy information. Looking at Internet programs in practice, Ybarra and Eaton (2005)

found that online mental health support groups might have a number of benefits compared to offline groups. These include a high level of information sharing and people may be more com-fortable to discuss problems compared to face-to-face meetings. Moreover, research suggests that users of an online depression support group were more likely to conquer their depression over time compared to the group of patients from primary care (Hou-ston and colleagues, 2002).

Research has also highlighted the effectiveness of an internet-based program for reducing the risk of eating disorders (Winzelberg and colleagues, 2000). They found that at follow-up, the intervention participants had a significant improvement in body image and a decrease in drive for thinness, compared to the control group. By demonstrating that improvements can be made with this sample, improvements may, therefore, be made with other vulnerable young people.

Research in this area looks promising and online support seems likely to play an important role in the future. The Internet is now an important part of our lives and, in terms of anorexia, it is chang-ing the experience of the disorder. In the past, people with ano-rexia experienced it alone but now they can share their experienc-es with people from all over the world from the security of their bedrooms. A key finding throughout was the idea of support, and the young people gain support from the Internet, which can be helpful in terms of pro-recovery websites.

By Sarah McFarline

Focus on....Purging Disorder

Purging Disorder is a newly recognised form of eating disorder and which may be as common as Anorexia or Bulimia. However, currently, it is formally diagnosed under the category of EDNOS (Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified).

Purging Disorder differs from Anorexia in that the sufferer is typically not underweight. It compares with Bulimia in that the sufferer does not eat large amounts of food before purging.

Someone suffering from Purging Disorder may, therefore, en-gage in recurrent and repeated purging (such as laxative or diu-retic abuse, self-induced vomiting or enemas). They do this to control their weight or body shape. They do not engage in binge-ing or consume large quantities of food before purging. Purging Disorder is more common in women than men and typically oc-curs in individuals who are within the ‘normal’ weight range.

At present, we do not know what causes Purging Disorder. How-ever, research shows that it is associated with clinically signif-icant levels of distress. Individuals may also develop Purging Disorder as a way of coping with anxiety, stress and feelings of being out of control. Purging may help them to deal with feel-ings and emotions generally.

The signs and symptoms associated with Purging Disorder in-clude:* Obsessing about weight, body shape and appearance.* Visiting the bathroom after eating (to engage in self-induced vomiting).

* Laxative or diuretic abuse.* Exhibiting signs of frequent self-induced vomiting (such as calluses on the knuckles, if fingers are used to induce vomiting).*Other physical, visible signs include swollen cheeks and neck; broken blood vessels in eyes; teeth that look ‘clear’ (from the acid content in vomit).

The complications associated with Purging Disorder include:* Electrolyte imbalances.* Anaemia.* Low blood pressure.* Stomach ulcers.* Dehydration.* Mouth sores and ulcers.* Irregular heart beat.* Lethargy and fatigue.* Damage to the oesophagus.* Kidney infections and damage.* Weakened heart muscle and possible heart failure.* Intestinal problems, such as constipation and diarrhoea.* Impaired vision (from broken blood vessels in eyes).* Muscle weakness.

There is no specific treatment for Purging Disorder given that it’s a newly recognised form of eating disorder. Some elements of the treatment provided to those with Bulimia may be valu-able, especially that which addresses the purging behaviours. Again, a multidisciplinary approach is most appropriate, which takes into account all of the individuals emotional, social, psy-chological and physical difficulties.

By Alexandra O’Brien

SHOP! SHOP! SHOP!www.nbp-eating-disorders.co.uk/shop.html

Help us raise funds for eating disorders sufferers and raise awareness at the same time by buying some of the No Bodies Perfect branded pin badges and wrist-bands. A must for everyone’s wardrobe, these fashion-able items look great with everything and are inexpen-sive to buy! Come on, get your pin badge or wristband while stocks last! Show your support and help a great charity to provide support and raise awareness of eat-ing disorders.

To buy, check out our fantastic website. Click onto ‘Shop’ and see what we have to offer. Payment for items is made securely via PayPal and every penny will go to supporting people with eating disorders.

PLEASE DONATE OR HELP RAISE FUNDS TOSUPPORT EATING DISORDERS SUFFERERS!!

PLEASE HELP!! DONATING EVEN £1 A MONTH CAN REALLY HELP NO BODIES PERFECT AND PROVIDE VITAL HELP AND SUPPORT TO PEOPLE EXPERIENCING EATING DISORDERS WHO USE OUR SERVICES. THE TRUTH IS, WE REALLY NEED YOUR HELP WITH DONATIONS AND DOING SOME FUNDRAIS-ING AS THERE IS A DANGER WE HAVE TO WITHDRAW OUR SERVICES IF WE DON’T HAVE ENOUGH FUNDS. WE REALLY NEED AS MUCH AS WE CAN GET, SO EVEN £1 A MONTH, OR WHATEVER YOU CAN AFFORD, GOES A LONG WAY TO PRO-VIDING SUFFERERS WITH A MUCH NEEDED LIFE-LINE.

YOU CAN EVEN ORGANISE YOUR OWN FUNDRAISING EVENT AND DONATE THE MONEY TO NO BODIES PERFECT. ALL DO-NATIONS AND MONEY RAISED GOES DIRECTLY TO HELPING PEOPLE WITH EATING DISORDERS. AS WE ARE A SCOTTISH REGISTERED CHARITY, WE ARE REQUIRED, BY LAW TO HAVE OUR ACCOUNTS CHECKED AND SUBMIT REPORTS RELAT-ED TO OUR INCOME. WITH THIS, YOU CAN BE REASSURED THAT ALL MONEY RAISED AND DONATED GOES STRAIGHT TO HELPING PEOPLE WITH EATING DISORDERS, AND THEIR FAMILIES AND FRIENDS.

OUR OFFICIAL WEBSITE ALLOWS YOU TO SAFELY AND SE-CURELY DONATE MONEY TO NO BODIES PERFECT VIA PAY-PAL, A TRUSTED AND VERY SAFE MONEY TRANSFER AU-THORITY. YOU CAN ALSO TRANSFER YOUR FUNDRAISING DONATIONS TO NO BODIES PERFECT IN THIS WAY. YOU CAN ALSO DONATE MONEY AT OUR SUPPORT GROUP MEETINGS, EVENTS OR MAKE A FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION TO US IN PERSON (FACE-TO-FACE). PLEASE SEE OUR SAFE AND SE-CURE WEBSITE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON HOW TO DO-NATE TO HELPING US HELP PEOPLE WITH EATING DISOR-DERS (WWW.NBP-EATING-DISORDERS.CO.UK)

YOU CAN ALSO HELP US RAISE ESSENTIAL FUNDS BY PUR-CHASING SOME OF OUR VERY TRENDY BRANDED PIN BADG-ES AND WRISTBANDS. THESE HAVE BEEN REALLY POPU-LAR AND ARE A MUST FOR ANYONE WHO WANTS TO RAISE AWARENESS OF EATING DISORDERS GENERALLY AND PROVIDE SUPPORT TO EATING DISORDER SUFFERERS. YOU CAN BUY THESE VIA OUR SECURE WEBSITE (PAYPAL), OR AT SUPPORT GROUP MEETINGS AND OUR EVENTS.

WE REALLY NEED YOUR HELP SO PLEASE CONSIDER DO-NATING OR RAISING MONEY FOR US SOON – YOUR HELP AND SUPPORT GOES A LONG WAY TO PROVIDING A MUCH NEEDED LIFE-LINE TO THOSE SUFFERING WITH EATING DIS-ORDERS.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROSITY AND KINDNESS – IT GENUINELY MEANS THE WORLD TO US!

BY ALEXANDRA O’BRIEN

When woRds DoN’t wOrKCreative Exhibition and Performance Afernoon to mark the Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival 2012

This year, to coincide with the Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival, No Bodies Perfect created an exhibition titled “When Words Don’t Work”. The exhibition took place at Bellshill Cultural Centre, and was organised by Alexandra and Louise with the help of some of the No Bodies Perfect Trustees and our service users (those experiencing eating disorders who ac-cess No Bodies Perfect’s services). Alexandra O’Brien from No Bodies Perfect made a statement about the event:

‘It’s often difficult to communicate what we are really feeling, especially to those who have not themselves experienced an eating disorder. For many individuals with an eating disorder, the spoken word may not be enough to completely capture what they have been experiencing. Many people with eating disor-ders find that alternative methods of self-expression are invalu-able, especially ‘When Words Don’t Work’.

Creative expression can be a very effective way of not only con-necting with our own deep thoughts and feelings, but in helping us to express what we are really thinking; what we are really experiencing.

The No Bodies Perfect exhibition ‘When Words Don’t Work’ offers an insight into how art and creativity can provide an in-valuable outlet for self-expression. Through drama, music, song, painting, drawing, crafts, creative writing and many other crea-tive mediums, the individual experiencing an eating disorder can not only become more in touch with their own inner thoughts and feelings, but more clearly communicate and express such to other people, through creativity and artistic expression. For No Bodies Perfect, art and creative activity is a very important channel of self-expression and plays a vital role in eating disor-der treatment and recovery.’

The exhibition showcased pieces of artwork, poetry, creative writing, collages, posters, photography and other creative pieces which reflected the thoughts, feelings, and experiences of indi-viduals who are affected by eating disorders. Creative work came from a varied number of individuals including No Bodies Perfect service users’, and other individuals who have current or previous experience of an eating disorder. Each piece gave a deep insight into the thoughts and feelings of those affected by eating disorders. The whole exhibition caused visitors to re-flect on how society views individuals with eating disorders, and

also the negative stigma which is often associated with mental health and illness. The exhibition truly touched every facet of the psyche by evoking a rainbow of emotions including happiness, anxiety, fear, love, sadness, hope, determination and optimism.

The Performance Afternoon involved the Director, No Bodies Perfect volunteers, service users and some other people want-ing to get involved. One of the performances touched on the thoughts and feelings which one individual experienced on a daily basis. The Performance Afternoon included poetry, song, music, drama, monologue and recovery stories. Each piece of poetry led the audience through an inspiring story which reso-nated a stirring emotional tale of an individual who wanted to be heard. This was followed by a stimulating piece of music called “Reflection” which was sung by one of No Bodies Per-fect’s service users. The song tells the story of a young girl who wants her physical reflection to reflect the person she feels and believes she truly is. The performance was emotionally moving and it was easy to tell that the audience felt in awe at the sheer, raw emotion attached to the singer’s voice.

A drama piece followed. This featured a women affected by eating disorders and her inner monologue when confronted with people’s judgement and opinions. Each actor played a differ-ent role, i.e. parent, friend, psychologist, acquaintance etc. The performance was emotionally moving and thought provoking. It really made the audience understand the confusion, uncertainty and overwhelming feelings that the sufferer goes through on a daily basis. Here’s a short quote from the drama piece:

Friend: ‘But you don’t look like you have an eating disorder?’

What I want to say: ‘Do you realise how long it’s taken me to get the courage to come here today? To admit that I am struggling. To admit that I need help. I have had to fight the eating disor-der so hard to get here. No one will take me seriously. “You’re too fat, people with eating disorders don’t look like you.” These comments are fired at me constantly, and here I finally am, and you have just confirmed everything that it says. It doesn’t matter that this has taken over my life. I can’t get help until I lose more weight.’

What I actually say: ‘I am sorry for wasting your time.’

The Performance Afternoon ended with another poem, a recovery story read by a Recovery Representative, and another beautiful song by one of our service users. The audience thoroughly en-joyed the performance and many people hung around afterwards to speak to the performers. Aexandra and Louise did a fantastic job in organising the exhibition. The whole day was a complete success, and the performance was inspirational, seamless and deeply reflective.

To see a video of the performance, make sure to check out the No Bodies Perfect website for a link to a video of the full perfor-mance: www.nbp-eating-disorders.co.uk

By Liam Gibbons

some photographs of the exhibition

SO WHAT DO NO BODIES PERFECT ACTUALLY DO?

We have had 1000s of enquiries from individuals, psychologists, psychiatrists, charities, counsellors, colleges and universities, carers, community mental health teams and many more, either wanting to join the support group sessions, wanting to access or other services, or asking for some more information about what we do.

The charity is very valuable to a great many people who are struggling with various forms of eating and food distress. We do receive a lot of enquiries from people all over Scotland who wish a similar service in their area. We hope to start more sup-port groups in the future. Our members are from all areas – Glasgow, East Dunbartonshire, Edinburgh, Stirling, Inverclyde, North and South Lanarkshire, Ayrshire, and Renfrewshire – so we are not exclusively a ‘Glasgow’ charity.

Our list of services includes the following (more detailed infor-mation is provided on our official website):

• Eating Disorder Support Group Sessions (weekly)• Eating Disorders Information Website and Eating Disorders Support Website• Eating Disorders Community Awareness Group• Information Service• Recovery Representatives Team• Eating Disorders Support Forum for Sufferers and Carers• Online Support• The Voice Eating Disorder Support Magazine• Newsletters• Training and Consultation• Student Eating Disorder Group• No Bodies Perfect Lending Library• Eating Disorders Book Club• Coffee and Chat Club• Arts and Creative Classes• Workshops • One-to-one Counselling and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy• Stress Management and Relaxation Classes (coming soon)• Telephone Information Line (coming soon)• Fundraising and Events• Volunteering and Placement Opportunities

We also hope to introduce various other services with more funding, so we will update our supporters accordingly.

By Alexandra O’Brien

CAN YOU HELP WITH A SHORT

QUESTIONNAIRE ABOUT BINGE

EATING DISORDERS AND MALES ?

The purpose of this research is to explore the experience of men with Binge Eating Disorder. Spyroula Spyrou would like to hear from you if you:

• Are male • Are 18 years of age or older• Are fluent in English • Have a diagnosis of binge eating disorder from a health professional• Are currently in treatment for binge eating disorder for least one year (e. g. cognitive behavioral therapy, individual/group psychother-apy, interpersonal therapy, dialectical behavioural therapy, self-help books).

What would participating in this research involve?

An interview about your experience of having binge eating disorder. The interview would last approximately 45-60 minutes.

Spyroula Spyrou is a trainee Counselling Psychologist at London Met-ropolitan University and this study is part of the Doctoral qualifica-tion in Counselling Psychology. If you are interested in participating or you have any questions please contact Spyroula at [email protected] You will be reimbursed for your participation with a £10 Amazon voucher.

Thank you for taking time to help with this research.

Eating Disorders Autumn Conference

No Bodies Perfect Presents a Talk on ‘The Ideal Eating Disorders Service’

Friday 26th October 2012Steele Lecture Theatre, Perth Royal Infirmary, Perthshire

The theme of the Scottish Eating Disorders Interest Group’s (SEDIG) Autumn Conference was ‘What Does an Eating Dis-orders Service Need to Offer’.

To answer the question ‘What does an eating disorder service need to offer?’ No Bodies Perfect recently conducted an on-line survey and also asked our own service users what they thought. There was lots of discussion and ideas – too many to highlight here. However, the sheer amount of discussion and volume of ideas suggests that it is a question that many past and present eating disorder sufferers were keen to answer.

Alexandra O’Brien, Charity Director, gave a presentation based on these findings and gave a talk about what eating dis-order sufferers actually thought should be offered by an eating disorder service. No Bodies Perfect will provide a more in-depth report on their findings.

By Alexandra O’Brien

No Bodies Perfect held their Summer Fundraising Quiz Night on Friday 1st of June 2012. The turnout was wonderful and the overall total raised from the night was an amazing £410.00.

The quiz consisted of a number of rounds on, for example, geography, sport, music, film and television and general knowledge. There were short breaks during some of the rounds giving people the opportunity to get drinks, listen to the music and visit the free buffet open to guests. The event included several other things which ensured that everyone remained entertained throughout the night. The extra entertainment also helped us to raise more important funds for the charity. Raffle tick-ets were sold before and during the Quiz Night. Various companies and individuals kindly donated a wide selection of raffle prizes. These dona-tions were really appreciated by the charity. A lucky dip was also circu-lated round the quiz tables: guests were invited to pick a prize from a large sparkly bag for 50p a turn. There was also a ‘Name the Album Cover’ round ongoing throughout the evening. We left answer sheets on tables and the teams worked on ‘naming the album cover’ throughout the even-ing. Guests were definitely well entertained and the feedback from the night was extremely positive.

Overall, our Summer Fundraising Quiz Night was a big success. As well as generating some much-needed funds, the event brought together volun-teers, service users and people simply interested in helping the cause.

Strathclyde University kindly permitted No Bodies Perfect to hire the Bar-ony Bar, located within Strathclyde University Union. It is highly likely the charity will hold many more events there in the future. To keep up to date with forthcoming events log on to the official No Bodies Perfect website: www.nbp-eating-disorders.co.uk.

By Nicola Clarke

No Bodies Perfect Meet with Jo Swinson MP, Co-Founder of The Campaign for Body Confidence

Friday 15th June

On Friday 15th June, some of the team at No Bodies Per-fect met with MP Jo Swinson. Jo is also a Co-Founder of the Campaign for Body Confidence and some of the team also went to hear Jo talk about this back in February 2012. We met Jo in her constituency and had a very interest-ing and lively meeting with her. It was a great experience and we thank Jo for her time and enthusiasm. We also received a handwritten letter all the way from the House of Commons in London following our meeting which was great too!

TIPS ON GOING TO AN EATING DISORDERS SUPPORT

GROUP SESSION

1. Look on the internet, in local directories, telephone your local mental health organisation or contact your national charity for eating disorders, such as No Bodies Perfect (Scotland’s Charity for Eating Disorders) for de-tails of local support groups in your area, when they meet, where, at what time, and any other details, such as age criteria or whether they are eating disorder specific. Do a bit of homework first.

2. Most support groups have contact details – an email address, a tel-ephone number or a website. If you feel a bit nervous about telephoning them initially, send an email asking for details of the group, when and where it meets and so on.

3. If you are especially nervous or worried about your first group meeting, ask the Group Leader or Group Facilitator if they can meet you for a chat alone 10 minutes before your first meeting. I do this with new members and it can really help them to relax. It also gives them the opportunity to ask questions and for the leader to give you more information about what happens during the meeting.

4. Read any group reviews you can find. No Bodies Perfect private sup-port group website has some group reviews on it, and many new mem-bers find this helpful. Find out what other people think of the group.

5. Remember, you can just sit and listen during the meeting. There should be no pressure to talk or reveal any information that you don’t want to or feel comfortable with.

6. All support groups should have a Confidentiality Policy in place. Some may ask you to sign a short form to let you know that what you say dur-ing the meeting will be private and confidential and remain within the confines of the group. Of course, there may be some exceptions to this, such as Child Protection issues. The Confidentiality Policy is for your own safety and reassurance.

7. If you are feeling nervous or apprehensive about your first meeting, or any group meeting, take along a friend or family member with you for some extra support.

8. Go over how to get to the meeting venue the night before your first meeting to be sure of where you are going and how to get there. You may already be feeling nervous about the first meeting and the fear of being late or getting lost will only serve to increase this, so do your homework and plan in advance how to get there and how long it will take.

9. Remember, everyone at the group meeting is in the same boat and will be experiencing similar difficulties to you. You are not alone and eve-ryone who is at the meeting will have felt as nervous and apprehensive about their first meeting as you may do now. However, they continue to go along, often after many months, so that demonstrates that first nerves and worries about your first meeting will fade over time, and like most who come to my group, you will probably start to look forward to going to the group and chatting with people who understand and really listen.

10. Some support groups (such as those organised by No Bodies Perfect) also schedule in some online chats and Coffee and Chat Clubs for mem-bers now and again. It might be helpful to find out if your group provides this and, if you are a bit nervous about your first meeting, it might be helpful to attend these before you go along to your first face-to-face sup-port group meeting. By Alexandra O’Brien

No Bodies Perfect Telephone InfoLine

This is currently under development and will be available in January 2013. This is a trial scheme and we will oper-ate a Telephone Information Line one evening a week for 2 hours. This will be an Information Line and not a sup-port line - meaning that we cannot provide support but can give you information about, for instance, No Bodies Perfect, our services, support group meetings, other forms of support, signposting, useful links and help-lines and so on. It may also be useful as a first point of contact to those who are thinking about using our services, especially our support group, but are perhaps a bit nervous about com-ing along – hearing a voice down the phone from someone who helps manage the services can be very valuable. You may also leave a text message and we can text you back information, or leave your email address if you would like is to reply to you via email. If you want more informa-tion, please email us in January for the InfoLine Telephone Number or check our website.

Telephone Number: check our website or email us: [email protected]

Opening Hours: Wednesday evenings, 7.30-9.30pm

Could You Be A Charity Trustee?

No Bodies Perfect is a Scottish Registered Charity (SC043354) providing a range of services to people who have experienced or are experiencing eating disorders or food and eating difficulties.

If you are a dynamic and motivated person with some time to spare and you have an interest in eating disorders and mental health, we would like to hear from you. We are presently seeking volunteer Trustees for our Committee Board. Meetings would be held in Glas-gow, although anyone in Scotland is welcome to apply.

We are particularly interested in people who have personal knowledge or experience of eating disorders, (personally or as a carers/friend/family member/health professional) mental health services, skills in strategic planning, financial management, fundraising, tendering con-tracts, or funding. Application will include a form, a written state-ment about yourself and why you want to get involved, followed by an informal face-to-face chat with us.

If you have skills other than those mentioned above and would con-sider volunteering with us as a Trustee in any other capacity, please also register your interest with us. Join us now and tell us what you think, how you would like to help and be part of our rapidly expand-ing charity in Scotland. Get in touch: [email protected]

We look forward to hearing from you soon. Thank you!

Alexandra O’Brien

NO BODIES PERFECT CONTACT DETAILS

No Bodies Perfect Support and Information [email protected]

No Bodies Perfect Official Websitewww.nbp-eating-disorders.co.uk

No Bodies Perfect Support Forum www.nbp-eating-disorders.co.uk/forum

No Bodies Perfect InfoLinelaunched in January 2013

No Bodies Perfect Support Websitehttp://www.meetup.com/nbp-eating-disorders

(sign-up required)

Facebook Publicity PageNo Bodies Perfect

Twitter@nbpeatdisorders

Would you like to become involved with No Bodies Perfect and eating disorders in Scotland? We are looking for more great, motivated people of all ages to join us, either as a formal volunteer or casually, on a one-off ba-

sis, or just help with some things when you have time. You might have a specific idea that you want help with or want to take on a particular role. If so, let is know - it would be great to hear from you.

Similarly, you may want to help with raising money and fundraising activi-ties for No Bodies Perfect. You might want to help organise events. You may wish to help design posters and leaflets. You might want to become a Re-covery Representative or help with the Community Awareness Group and raise awareness of eating disorders in Scotland. You may wish to help with campaigning or talk to other charities, the government or MPs. Perhaps you have a story to tell and would like to be involved with giving talks and pres-entation, or do interviews or speak with the media. There is so much you can get involved with. We are also looking for people sit on our Committee Board, so you might be interested in that.

If you want to GET INVOLVED in some way, we really look forward to hearing from you. The more people involved, the more awareness of eating disorders we can create in Scotland and the more support, social and infor-mation services we can provide to those struggling with an eating disorder or food and eating difficulties in Scotland. You can contact us confidentially at: [email protected] for information or to voice your inter-est and we can take it from there.

Let’s together provide support, information and awareness of eating disorders in Scotland!