‘I spent thousands on therapy because I wasn’t thin enough for support from the NHS’

Hope Virgo lifts the lid on the spiralling costs for those trying to get help for mental health issues 

“I was diagnosed with bulimia in 2012. I waited twelve months for NHS therapy and rapidly deteriorated while waiting. I did receive 20 sessions of CBT, which helped, but at my four-week follow-up after finishing our sessions, the therapist expressed a lot of concern that I was slipping back into old habits. But there was nothing she could offer – she told me I would need my GP to refer me back to eating disorder services and wait my turn again.”