Helplines in South Africa.

Hotline support for eating disorders and body image issues is available in South Africa

If you're always disatisfied with the way your body looks and you've tried to control how it looks in harmful ways, then you may have an eating disorder. There are 2 hotlines in South Africa that help with body image and eating problems. If these symptoms sound familiar, reach out for free support:

• Fear of gaining weight and becoming larger.
• Poor circulation that causes cold hands and feet.
• Mood swings due to hormonal imbalances and nutritional deficiences.
• Growth of a fine layer of hair on the body called lanugo.
• Cutting out certain foods or food groups all of a sudden.
• Lying to others about whether you have eaten so you can skip meals.
• Feeling uncomfortable eating in front of others.
• Missing periods or having irregular periods

You may feel bad about how far your disordered eating has gone. Disordered eating and poor body image can cause feelings of shame and guilt. Often, these feelings make people want to withdraw from others.

It can be hard to deal with the feelings of shame and guilt that so often accompany negative body image and disordered eating. Admitting that you've lost control and that you need help may feel harder than keeping your problems to yourself.

For free and confidential support with eating and body image, consider contacting a hotline in South Africa today.