When you need more than an app
Anchor is a tool for noticing and for getting through a moment. There are situations it is not built for.
When to look for support
If eating feels out of your control, if you often eat in secret or feel deep shame afterwards, if you compensate for eating by vomiting, fasting or excessive exercise, or if thoughts about food and your body take up most of your day — these are reasons to talk to someone, and none of them are a personal failing.
About eating disorders
Anorexia, bulimia and binge-eating disorder are illnesses, not questions of willpower, and they are treatable. Anchor does not recognise them and cannot assess them. If any of this sounds like you, your GP or a specialist eating disorder service can help far more than any app.
In an acute crisis
If you are thinking about harming yourself, do not stay alone with it. Emergency services, a crisis line or an emergency department are available right now, and calling is allowed even when you are unsure whether it is bad enough.
United Kingdom and Ireland
Samaritans
116 123 — free, 24 hours a day, UK and Ireland
Beat eating disorder helpline (UK)
England 0808 801 0677 · Scotland 0808 801 0432 · Wales 0808 801 0433 · Northern Ireland 0808 801 0434
beateatingdisorders.org.uk
Bodywhys (Ireland)
01 210 7906 · alex@bodywhys.ie · bodywhys.ie
Other countries
Find a Helpline lists free crisis lines by country, maintained and up to date.
findahelpline.comAnchor is a self-reflection tool, not a medical device, and replaces no medical, psychotherapeutic or nutritional advice. This page is a signpost, not an assessment — Anchor does not evaluate anyone's condition.