FOR Placi O’Neill, binge-eating anything she could lay her hands and then immediately making herself sick became second nature.

The 38-year-old would gorge on crisps, sweets and chocolate and then immediately make herself vomit.

The problem, which began when she was 15 and lasted for more than a decade, became so bad she had to have some of her teeth removed because they were so badly damaged by the hydrochloric acid in vomit, and her internal organs began to shut down.

But it was only when she began to vomit blood, Ms O’Neill realised she had a serious problem.

The mother-of-one, from Bicester, is speaking out about her eating disorder to mark National Eating Disorder Week, which runs until Friday.

She said: “When I was at school I was slightly chubby and it made me feel very uncomfortable and self-conscious.

“Children can be very cruel and began to be quite vicious with their comments. Having an eating disorder is a coping mechanism.

“If I had had a bad day, I would take loads of food from the fridge and eat and eat.”

The Department of Health estimates that about 20,000 people in Oxfordshire will at some point in their life experience an eating disorder.

Bulimia can affect men and women, but women are 10 times more likely to develop it than men.

People with bulimia tend to alternate between bingeing on excessive amounts of food and then making themselves sick to maintain a chosen weight.

But Ms O Neill calls bulimia the hidden eating disorder as people can suffer with it for many years without losing any weight.

Ms O’Neill has now been trained by Beat, formerly the Eating Disorders Association, to run the Oxford Eating Disorders Support Group.

She has appealed for anyone who thinks they may have an eating disorder to get in touch with the organisation.

She said: “That is the thing with bulimia, you don’t necessarily realise people have got it.

“It is more that you abuse your internal organs,” she added.

“When I started throwing up blood I realised I had a really bad problem.

“I realised my health had to come first.” The Beat helpline for people aged 18 and over is 0845 634 1414 or email help@b-eat.co.uk Alternatively, the youthline, specifically for people aged 25 and under, can be contacted on 0845 634 7650, text 07786 20 18 20 or by emailing fyp@b-eat.co.uk