Understanding and training is the key to encouraging more young people to open up about eating disorders, according to a Christian charity.
The number of young people going to hospital with eating disorders has almost doubled in three years according to the NHS.
Imogen Smith is from the charity Anorexia and Bulimia Care.
She told Premier that: "It doesn't surprise me... we know a lot of young people are coming through to our help lines, we know that physiologically adolescence plays a role in eating disorders developing - in addition we're seeing the pressures [on young people] increasing."
She added that: "A lot of people aren't coming forward, and again we're still living in a time of reduced understanding and a lot of stigma - and it's really important that we look at promoting understanding and training.
"The media tends to be blamed for eating disorders - when we actually know that most eating disorders are caused by emotional, underlying issues - reactions to traumatic events, stress, times of transition."
Listen to Premier's Hannah Tooley speak to Imogen Smith here:
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