An anorexia patient has made a desperate plea for more support for adults with eating disorders.

Her condition, anorexia nervosa, is most commonly diagnosed in teenage girls.

Mother-of-two Amii Adam, 31, from Carnoustie in Angus, believes there is a hidden crisis among older sufferers, however, and they are not getting the help they need from the NHS.

She has been battling the condition for the past five years.

Speaking to STV News, she said: "I don't want to get out of my bed some mornings - some mornings I'm too scared to get out of my bed - the only thing that makes me get out is my family.

"I would never eat anything through the day and I pretty much lived off coffee. Exercising, ridiculous amounts of exercising. I would go out at one or two in the morning and run six, seven or eight miles around Carnoustie.

"Just doing laps and laps and laps because you were just that obsessed and terrified that you're going to gain weight."

Amii has received treatment on the NHS as an outpatient and in special units in Aberdeen and Livingston.

She feels eating disorder services are geared towards much younger patients.

"I've met more older people suffering from this than I have younger people, I just feel that there's not enough support for an adult, not as much as there would be for an adolescent.

"I've been in hospital and I've had doctors say to me, well you know what you need to do to make it stop.

"And I'm like OK, how am I supposed to do that? The understanding, they don't understand. It's all about weight to them, it's not all about weight, it's in your head, it's mental, it's a mental illness."

Amii has now turned to a private psychiatrist for help but the cost is another burden on her and her husband, Paul.

She said: "I think that they should get more support, more people that are going to be sympathetic, that are going to be there for you and are going to be available to you.

"I know that I'm not the only mum in Scotland who is going through this and I just don't think it's fair. I don't think it's fair."

The Scottish Government said it has put in place a dedicated strategy to help adults affected by anorexia.

Mental health minister Maureen Watt said: "We expect health boards to ensure that everybody receives appropriate care and treatment no matter their age.

"In Scotland, the majority of people from all age groups living with an eating disorder are treated effectively in the community, with specialist support provided by primary or community mental health teams and with support links to specialist hospital care where that is needed.

"We have put in place a dedicated strategy to help adults affected by anorexia through our specialist NHS regional inpatient eating disorder units for adults in Aberdeen and Livingston."

She added: "In addition, our ten-year mental health strategy is playing a role in improving the quality of care and ensuring equal access to the most effective care and treatment at its core."