In this Healthed lecture, A/Prof Warren Ward explains that eating disorders are increasingly common and GPs are often the first professional to see clinical warning signs and often the first professional that a patient or relative seeks help from. A/Prof Ward will provide an understanding of the causes of eating disorders, a practical guide to assessing severity and hence risk in eating disorders and thus when to refer urgently for specialist care and/or admission. Prof Ward also describes what is currently regarded as effective treatment of Eds and what the GPs role in this process is, and provides some practical advice on possibly the most challenging aspects of this issue, which is how to engage reluctant/ambivalent patients.