Butterfly: Let's Talk: Recent Episodes
Butterfly Foundation
This is the Butterfly Podcast from the Butterfly Foundation, your national voice for people living with body image issues and eating disorders.
Evidence-based treatment for eating disorders rightly focuses on restoring health and changing eating disorder behaviours. But what if those behaviours are also protecting something much deeper?
What if lasting recovery starts not with asking "What's wrong with me?" but "What happened to me?"
In this episode of Let's Talk, Beth talks with clinical psychologist and schema therapy expert Dr Susan Simpson about her new book Breaking Negative Eating Patterns and Remembering Your True Self, which offers a compassionate new way of understanding eating disorders. Drawing on more than 25 years of clinical experience, Susan explains how eating disorders can develop as intelligent coping strategies that protect us from shame, loneliness, unmet emotional needs and painful life experiences.
Susan explores the core ideas behind schema therapy, including our different "parts", the role of the inner critic, and how reconnecting with our authentic self can reduce the need for eating disorder behaviours. She also walks through the four-stage recovery journey outlined in her book, shares practical exercises listeners can try, and explains how clinicians and people with lived experience can use the book alongside evidence-based treatment.
It's a hopeful conversation about understanding the story behind your struggles, reconnecting with yourself, and discovering that recovery is about far more than changing eating behaviours.
Resources
- Breaking Negative Eating Patterns and Remembering Your True Self
- Susan Simpson LinkedIn
- Book: Schema therapy for eating disorders
- Schema therapy training online
Contact our Helpline
Follow Butterfly Foundation on Instagram here
Production Team:
- Produced by Beth Shelton and Sam Blacker from The Podcast Butler
- Executive Producer: Camilla Becket
- Supported by the Waratah Education Foundation
For more information about this episode, visit www.butterfly.org.au/podcast and click through to this episode.
If you're concerned about an eating disorder for yourself or someone you care about, please reach out to the Butterfly National Helpline or chat online with one of their specialist counsellors. Recovery is possible with the right support.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Therapists are often encouraged to bring empathy and authenticity into the therapy room, but what happens when that understanding comes from their own experience of an eating disorder? Should they disclose it to clients, or keep it private? And what does that decision mean for both therapist and client?
In this episode of Let's Talk, Beth talks with clinical psychologist and researcher Pheobe Ho, who draws on her own recovery, years of clinical practice and her PhD research to explore one of the most complex and under-discussed questions in eating disorder treatment: the ethical, professional and deeply personal decisions faced by clinicians who've been there themselves.
Phoebe shares what it was like to work alongside members of her own treatment team, and at a service where she was once a client. She explains why disclosure is never a simple yes-or-no decision. Together, she and Beth discuss workplace stigma, supervision, the emotional toll of concealing lived experience, and why psychologically safe workplaces matter for clinicians and clients alike.
They also explore how the eating disorder sector can better support clinicians with lived experience, why clearer guidance is urgently needed, and how new research could help shape the future of care.
It's a conversation for anyone curious about what happens when personal experience and professional expertise intersect.
Resources
Pheobe’s blog on being a clinician with lived experience in eating disorders.
Pheobe’s blog on supporting clinicians with lived experience.
Pheobe’s Linkedin.
Contact our Helpline
Follow Butterfly Foundation on Instagram here
Production Team:
- Produced by Beth Shelton and Sam Blacker from The Podcast Butler
- Executive Producer: Camilla Becket
- Supported by the Waratah Education Foundation
For more information about this episode, visit www.butterfly.org.au/podcast and click through to this episode.
If you're concerned about an eating disorder for yourself or someone you care about, please reach out to the Butterfly National Helpline or chat online with one of their specialist counsellors. Recovery is possible with the right support.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Men's body image is having a moment in the cultural conversation, but beyond the clickbait, what's actually going on? Where's the line between caring about your body and falling into something that can take over your life?
In this episode, Beth sits down with two guests who've seen it firsthand. Mark Beretta OAM, sports broadcaster, Australian waterski champion, and 2019 Father of the Year, speaks from decades in elite sport and media, and as a father raising a son. Shane Jeffrey, also a father, is an accredited sports dietitian with over 25 years working with clients experiencing eating disorders.
Social media algorithms and influencers are pulling young men into exercise and nutrition behaviours that look reasonable on the surface, but are often unscientific, unregulated, and quietly damaging to both their mental and physical health. Mark and Shane unpack how that happens, why supplements are filling a gap that good nutrition should, and how healthy habits can snowball into something extreme and consuming before anyone notices.
Shane describes what he's seeing clinically in boys aged 14–18. Mark talks about watching some mates head down that road and his own personal experiences growing up in sport culture.
They also cover what families, friends, and sporting clubs can do, and why getting in early with honest conversations can make all the difference.
Whether you're concerned about yourself, a mate, or a young person in your life, this one's worth your time.
Resources
Learn More about Mark Beretta
Learn more about Shane Jeffrey
See our Spot Your Mate Campaign about male body image
See our resources for males and men
Contact our Helpline
Follow Butterfly Foundation on Instagram here
Production Team:
- Produced by Beth Shelton and Sam Blacker from The Podcast Butler
- Executive Producer: Camilla Becket
- Supported by the Waratah Education Foundation
For more information about this episode, visit www.butterfly.org.au/podcast and click through to this episode.
If you're concerned about an eating disorder for yourself or someone you care about, please reach out to the Butterfly National Helpline or chat online with one of their specialist counsellors. Recovery is possible with the right support.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Neurodivergence, ADHD, autism, dyslexia, sensory processing differences, is far more common in eating disorder presentations than most people realise. When it goes unrecognised, traditional treatment often fails. Families struggle under the weight of behaviours they don't understand. And the individual at the centre suffers not just from the disorder, but from not being seen, or not responding to treatment in the ways everyone hoped.
In this episode, Beth speaks with Camilla Becket, a mum and carer, about what it took to finally understand her daughter's neurodivergence in relation to her eating disorder. Once that became clearer, everything changed. For everyone involved.
If you're a carer, you'll find your fears and frustrations reflected here, and maybe a new compassion for both your loved one and yourself. If you're experiencing an eating disorder, you may too. And if you're a healthcare professional, this one might shift how you think about diagnosis, care, and how person-centred care can successfully play out in real life.
Resources:
- Butterfly National Helpline: 1800 33 4673 (1800 ED HOPE)
- Chat online
- Butterfly's Carer Support Group:https://butterfly.org.au/get-support/support-groups-programs/support-groups/carersupportgroups/
- Butterfly's Carer Support Program:https://butterfly.org.au/get-support/support-programs/carer-program-collaborative-care-skills/
- Eating Disorders Families Australia.https://edfa.org.au/
- Learn more about Beth Shelton
- Eating at the Intersections: Understanding the Unique Experiences and Needs of Neurodivergent People
- Navigating Eating Disorder Recovery As a Neurodivergent Individual
- Eating Disorders Neurodiversity Australia
Production Team:
Produced by Beth Shelton and Sam Blacker from The Podcast Butler
Executive Producer: Camilla Becket
Supported by the Waratah Education Foundation
For more information about this episode, visit www.butterfly.org.au/podcast and click through to this episode.
If you're concerned about an eating disorder for yourself or someone you care about, please reach out to the Butterfly National Helpline or chat online with one of their specialist counsellors. Recovery is possible with the right support.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Meet our new host, Beth Shelton, a counselling psychologist with thirty years of experience working with people affected by eating disorders, including their loved ones. In addition to her own practice, Beth has shaped services, trained clinicians, and held national leadership roles across the sector. She brings professional wisdom and genuine warmth to all that she does.
In her inaugural episode, Beth is joined by Dr Natasha Hepworth, a psychologist who challenges the idea that an improved body image is simply a matter of changing our thinking.
Most of us already know we should feel better about how we look. But knowing it and living it are worlds apart.
Natasha's work starts with a different question: not what's wrong with how you see your body, but what is your body image protecting you from?
She sees negative body image not as a flaw to be fixed, but as a coping strategy, one that often has roots in real lived experience, including unprocessed trauma and shame. Her work invites us to explore what our bodies have been holding, and how we can heal in a way that genuinely lasts.
If you've ever felt like body acceptance was always just out of reach, this episode may just make the difference.
Resources:
- Butterfly National Helpline: 1800 33 4673 (1800 ED HOPE)
- Chat online
- Learn more about Beth Shelton
- Learn more about Natasha Hepworth
- Read Body Image Inside out by Deb Schachter and Whitney Otto
- Read Befriending the Body by Ann Saffi Biasetti
Follow Butterfly Foundation on Instagram here
Production Team:
- Produced by Beth Shelton and Sam Blacker from The Podcast Butler
- Executive Producer: Camilla Becket
- Supported by the Waratah Education Foundation
For more information about this episode, visit www.butterfly.org.au/podcast and click through to this episode.
If you're concerned about an eating disorder for yourself or someone you care about, please reach out to the Butterfly National Helpline or chat online with one of their specialist counsellors. Recovery is possible with the right support.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In this episode Yvie is joined by Natalie Spicer, Butterfly's Head of Clinical Services, to talk through taking the all-important first steps toward recovery from an eating disorder.
If you or a loved one are struggling with eating, exercise, or body image and don't know where to begin — this one's for you.
What we cover:
Preparing for a GP appointment and what to expect in that first meeting
Accessing Medicare-subsidised eating disorder treatment plans
Bulk-billed and low-cost care options
Alternative treatment pathways and telehealth options
How carers, loved ones and other allies can offer safe, meaningful support
When a helpline, support group or other support services can make a real difference
Where you may find more resources, including in your own state.
No matter where you're at, this episode is about giving you a plan that fits your life — practical, compassionate, and actionable. You can do it your way with some guidance and tools.
This is the final episode hosted by Yvie Jones and Butterfly will forever be grateful for the work she has done in this space. We'll be introducing our new host in April! :-)
Resources:
- Butterfly National Helpline
- Butterfly Referral Database
- Are you at risk screening tool
- Eating Disorders Examination Questionnaire - EDE-Q
- Inside Out Institute for Eating Disorders
- National Eating Disorders Collaboration
- Eating Disorders Victoria
- Eating Disorders Queensland
- Eating Disorders Families Australia
Follow Yvie Jones on Instagram here
Follow Butterfly Foundation on Instagram here
Production Team:
- Produced by Yvie Jones and Sam Blacker from The Podcast Butler
- Executive Producer: Camilla Becket
- Supported by the Waratah Education Foundation
For more information about this episode, visit www.butterfly.org.au/podcast and click through to this episode.
If you're concerned about an eating disorder for yourself or someone you care about, please reach out to the Butterfly National Helpline or chat online with one of their specialist counsellors. Recovery is possible with the right support.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
On this week’s episode of Let's Talk In this episode, we're talking about GLP-1 medications, the drugs originally developed for diabetes that are now used more widely for weight loss.
We've all seen how these medications have been changing bodies, but they're also raising some questions: What about medical ethics, implications of new identities, and the impacts on body image and eating disorders? Also, who's really benefitting from this medical breakthrough?
There's no question the significance of GLP-1s, both personally and culturally, is complex and nuanced. For this reason, we've invited two experts with professional insight and personal experience to share their insights. Chevese Turner is a long-time advocate for body liberation who uses a GLP-1 medication for diabetes while also navigating their recovery from an eating disorder. Kathryn MacKay is the Program Director and Senior Lecturer in Bioethics at the University of Sydney, whose work focuses on body image, health, gender, and the cultural forces that shape how we understand "wellness" and worth.
We're talking about how these drugs intersect with diet culture, capitalism, medical gatekeeping, and social belonging, and why the hype around rapid weight loss can come with some costs.
More importantly, Chevese and Kathryn, without judgement, share their views on safeguards and when honest conversations are needed, especially as these medications become more accessible and more visible in everyday life.
Resources:
- Butterfly National Helpline: 1800 33 4673 (1800 ED HOPE)
- Chat online
- Learn more about Chevese Turnerhere.
- Learn more about Kathryn MacKayhere.
- Search ourReferral Database for professional support.
Follow Yvie Jones on Instagram here
Follow Butterfly Foundation on Instagram here
Production Team:
- Produced by Yvie Jones and Sam Blacker from The Podcast Butler
- Executive Producer: Camilla Becket
- Supported by the Waratah Education Foundation
For more information about this episode, visit www.butterfly.org.au/podcast and click through to this episode.
If you're concerned about an eating disorder for yourself or someone you care about, please reach out to the Butterfly National Helpline or chat online with one of their specialist counsellors. Recovery is possible with the right support.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In this episode of Let’s Talk we’re diving into the mind-blowing world of weight stigma with two very authentic and vocal fat activists.
You may also laugh out loud and decide you want these women as your new best friends.
Demi Lynch is a researcher and journalist from Kaleidoscope News. April Helene-Horton, aka The Bodzilla, is a body diversity advocate and well-known content creator. They’ll be sharing their no-holds-barred views on stigma and stereotyping, dating and relationships, the disconnect between health and health care, and what it really means for a person to take up space.
It may be tough to hear, but if you don’t know what it’s like to live in a larger body, this conversation will help you to get it. If you do live in a larger body, Demi and April are here to let you know you’re not alone in your experience — and with them in your corner, there are things you can do to keep going with hope.
Resources:
- Butterfly National Helpline: 1800 33 4673 (1800 ED HOPE)
- Chat online
- The Butterfly referral database can be found
- Information on the Weight Stigma Conference can be found
- You can find Demi on Instagram here and April on Instagram
Follow Yvie Jones on Instagram here
Follow Butterfly Foundation on Instagram here
Production Team:
- Produced by Yvie Jones and Sam Blacker from The Podcast Butler
- Executive Producer: Camilla Becket
- Supported by the Waratah Education Foundation
For more information about this episode, visit www.butterfly.org.au/podcast and click through to this episode.
If you're concerned about an eating disorder for yourself or someone you care about, please reach out to the Butterfly National Helpline or chat online with one of their specialist counsellors. Recovery is possible with the right support.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
On this week’s episode of Let's Talk we're diving into a topic that will impact young people and any adults who love, work with, or educate them: We're talking about the incoming social media age restrictions, otherwise known as "the social media ban".
There's been a lot of discussion and even confusion about what these changes mean, why they're happening, and how they might affect the wellbeing of teens as they navigate a world increasingly shaped by online connection. Australia is leading the world in this space, and the whole world is watching.
Joining Yvie today is Danni Rowlands, the Director of Education Initiatives at Butterfly, who has spent nearly two decades working with young people, their families, sports clubs and schools. Danni brings a deep understanding of how digital environments shape identity, mental health, and the ways young people relate to their bodies. The ban was initiated, in part, because of the negative impact social media can have on their body image.
Danni will explain how body image, mental health, and online safety more broadly, is not only about the platforms or algorithms. It's about people, community, belonging, and the pressures young people face as they grow up in a world that is constantly asking them to compare, perform, and keep up.
More importantly, she'll share how adults can support the next generation through this major transition.
Resources:
- Butterfly National Helpline: 1800 33 4673 (1800 ED HOPE)
- Chat online
- Tips around the social media ban for under 16s
- Find out more about BodyKind Online Education
- Find professional support for your teen's body image and eating
Follow Yvie Jones on Instagram here
Follow Butterfly Foundation on Instagram here
Production Team:
- Produced by Yvie Jones and Sam Blacker from The Podcast Butler
- Executive Producer: Camilla Becket
- Supported by the Waratah Education Foundation
For more information about this episode, visit www.butterfly.org.au/podcast and click through to this episode.
If you're concerned about an eating disorder for yourself or someone you care about, please reach out to the Butterfly National Helpline or chat online with one of their specialist counsellors. Recovery is possible with the right support.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In this episode of Let’s Talk we are diving into the realities of living with, and managing, a longstanding eating disorder. So many of us live in that space between acute illness and full recovery, we wanted to know what that means for our lives.
Yvie is joined by Mallary Tenore Tarpley, author of "Slip, Life in the Middle of Eating Disorder Recovery”. Mallary shares her own lived experience with a long-term eating disorder, her ongoing recovery full of slips and setbacks and advice on what others can do when they encounter similar circumstances.
Also joining Yvie is Dr Jennifer Gaudiani, an expert in treating complex eating disorders and author of "Sick Enough: A Guide to the Medical Complications of Eating Disorders" .
She’ll be sharing how clinicians can create a sense of unified purpose with their clients in order to support long-term health and wellbeing.
Recovery isn't about perfection, it's about progress, patience, and self-compassion.
Resources:
- Butterfly National Helpline: 1800 33 4673 (1800 ED HOPE)
- Chat online
- Butterfly Referral Database
- You can find Mallary’s book
- You can find Dr. Jennifer’s book
Follow Yvie Jones on Instagram here
Follow Butterfly Foundation on Instagram here
Production Team:
- Produced by Yvie Jones and Sam Blacker from The Podcast Butler
- Executive Producer: Camilla Becket
- Supported by the Waratah Education Foundation
For more information about this episode, visit www.butterfly.org.au/podcast and click through to this episode.
If you're concerned about an eating disorder for yourself or someone you care about, please reach out to the Butterfly National Helpline or chat online with one of their specialist counsellors. Recovery is possible with the right support.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
This episode of Let’s Talk dives into one of the most important parts of mental health and wellbeing: sleep.
Yvie is joined by Dr Sumedha Verma, a sleep psychologist dedicated to helping people understand and improve their sleep in holistic, person-centred ways.
Sleep problems affect around two-thirds of people in Australia. Sleep isn’t just a biological process – it’s also shaped by social and societal pressures, human connections, and personal experiences.
Dr Verma explains how good sleep strengthens mental and physical health, and supports your relationship with yourself, your body, and your external environment.
She and Yvie also discuss why sleep health is highly personal, and how cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is a proven but often overlooked treatment.
In this episode, you’ll discover why holistic, individualised support for sleep matters so much, especially for people living with mental health, eating, or body image concerns.
Resources:
- Butterfly National Helpline: 1800 33 4673 (1800 ED HOPE)
- Chat online
- You can find Dr Sumedha’s website
Follow Yvie Jones on Instagram here
Follow Butterfly Foundation on Instagram here
Production Team:
- Produced by Yvie Jones and Sam Blacker from The Podcast Butler
- Executive Producer: Camilla Becket
- Supported by the Waratah Education Foundation
For more information about this episode, visit www.butterfly.org.au/podcast and click through to this episode.
If you're concerned about an eating disorder for yourself or someone you care about, please reach out to the Butterfly National Helpline or chat online with one of their specialist counsellors. Recovery is possible with the right support.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
This episode of Let’s Talk explores how art therapy can be a powerful recovery tool for people with eating disorders. Yvie speaks with clinician Serena Hill about the healing potential of this approach, including how creative expression can provide a safe space to explore emotions and support mental health.
Through her work as an art therapist, including at Wandi Nerida Residential Treatment Centre in Queensland, Serena combines her background in mental health nursing, her lived experience of an eating disorder, and her passion for creativity. Art therapy is a surprisingly effective way for people to express and understand themselves.
Yvie and Serena discuss the importance of compassionate, skilled support in mental health treatment, and how art therapy complements traditional approaches, especially when talk therapy isn’t enough.
Whether you're struggling with body image or eating yourself, or supporting a loved one, this conversation offers hope and insight into recovery through creative means.
Resources:
- Association of Art Therapists in Australia
- Wandi Nerida Residential Treatment Centre
- Inner Expressions Art Therapy
- Butterfly National Helpline: 1800 33 4673 (1800 ED HOPE)
- Chat online
Follow Yvie Jones on Instagram here
Follow Butterfly Foundation on Instagram here
Production Team:
- Produced by Yvie Jones and Sam Blacker from The Podcast Butler
- Executive Producer: Camilla Becket
- Supported by the Waratah Education Foundation
For more information about this episode, visit www.butterfly.org.au/podcast and click through to this episode.
If you're concerned about an eating disorder for yourself or someone you care about, please reach out to the Butterfly National Helpline or chat online with one of their specialist counsellors. Recovery is possible with the right support.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In this heartfelt episode of Let's Talk, Yvie Jones is joined by Matildas star and Butterfly Foundation ambassador Katrina Gorry, who opens up about her personal journey with developing an eating disorder, and how she learned to treat her body with compassion, care and respect, even when it felt hard. Katrina shares how a period of personal turmoil led her to seek control of her life by controlling her food, and how that struggle affected her career as an athlete.
With honesty and insight, Katrina also discusses how becoming a mother transformed her relationship with her body and what daily practices now help her to treat it with kindness and respect.
This is a story about recovery, resilience, and rewriting the way we think, act and speak about bodies, both for ourselves and for others.
Resources:
- Butterfly’s BodyKind August campaign
- Butterfly National Helpline: 1800 33 4673 (1800 ED HOPE)
- Chat online
- Register for Butterfly’s free resources to help you be more BodyKind here.
Follow Yvie Jones on Instagram here
Follow Butterfly Foundation on Instagram here
Production Team:
- Produced by Yvie Jones and Sam Blacker from The Podcast Butler
- Executive Producer: Camilla Becket
- Supported by the Waratah Education Foundation
For more information about this episode, visit www.butterfly.org.au/podcast and click through to this episode.
If you're concerned about an eating disorder for yourself or someone you care about, please reach out to the Butterfly National Helpline or chat online with one of their specialist counsellors. Recovery is possible with the right support.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In this episode of Let's Talk, Yvie Jones explores an often-overlooked topic: the experience of body image in people living with disabilities.
To help us understand, Yvie is joined by Juliette McAleer, a writer, researcher and disability advocate from regional Queensland.
Juliette shares how she navigates the complexities of living with physical and psychosocial disabilities, all while recovering from an eating disorder.
Yvie and Juliette discuss how ongoing medical issues, the system of care, and prejudice around difference can impact body image. Juliette shares how she learned to challenge societal standards and cultivate body kindness even when feeling good about her body was especially challenging. She also talks through how allies can better support disabled bodies with genuine inclusivity, understanding, and respect.
Resources:
- Butterfly National Helpline: 1800 33 4673 (1800 ED HOPE)
- Chat online
- Check out the blog about research that looked at body image in women living with disabilities that was supported by Butterfly and conducted by WHISE, Women’s Health in the South East here.
Follow Yvie Jones on Instagram here.
Follow Butterfly Foundation on Instagram here.
Production Team:
- Produced by Yvie Jones and Sam Blacker from The Podcast Butler
- Executive Producer: Camilla Becket
- Supported by the Waratah Education Foundation
For more information about this episode, visit www.butterfly.org.au/podcast and click through to this episode.
If you're concerned about an eating disorder for yourself or someone you care about, please reach out to the Butterfly National Helpline or chat online with one of their specialist counsellors. Remember, it’s OK to seek a second opinion. Recovery is possible with the right support.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In this episode of Let's Talk, Evie Jones explores the complex realities of body image among young people, with a focus on the LGBTQIA+ community.
Featuring insightful conversations with Finn Sterling, a trans youth advocate; Jeanette Chan, a young, queer lived experience researcher; and Francesca Beilharz, a clinical psychologist, the episode delves into societal pressures, media influences, and personal identities that can shape body perceptions.
The guests discuss the unique challenges faced by LGBTQIA+ youth, including issues of dysphoria, access to affirming care, and community influences. They emphasise the importance of inclusive, affirming support and systemic change to foster acceptance, safety, and empowerment for all bodies. Plus, Finn shares how social media can both support and challenge body acceptance.
This episode offers vital insights and compassionate advice for anyone navigating body image struggles, especially within traditionally marginalised communities.
Resources:
- Butterfly National Helpline: 1800 33 4673 (1800 ED HOPE)
- Chat online
- For information about Butterfly’s Body Kind Youth Survey that includes findings with LGBTQIA+ youth see here.
- For resources for the LGBTIQA+ community, including young people, see
- If you are professional working the LGBTQIA+ youth, there’s a tip sheet for you here.
Connect:
Follow Yvie Jones on Instagram here
Follow Butterfly Foundation on Instagram here
Production Team:
- Produced by Yvie Jones and Sam Blacker from The Podcast Butler
- Executive Producer: Camilla Becket
- Supported by the Waratah Education Foundation
For more information about this episode, visit www.butterfly.org.au/podcast and click through to this episode.
If you're concerned about an eating disorder for yourself or someone you care about, please reach out to the Butterfly National Helpline or chat online with one of their specialist counsellors. Remember, it's okay to seek a second opinion if you feel misunderstood. Recovery is possible with the right support.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In this episode of Let's Talk, Yvie Jones delves into the complex journey of eating disorder recovery through the powerful lenses of lived experience. She is joined by TJ, Keely, Beth, and Grace, who share their personal stories and professional insights as they navigate the challenges and breakthroughs associated with eating disorders.
TJ opens up about his journey with anorexia and bulimia, highlighting how cultural and gender factors influenced his experience and recovery. Keely reflects on her challenging pathway to recovery, emphasising the importance of reconnecting with loved ones and finding joy in life beyond the eating disorder. Beth provides a unique perspective as a peer support facilitator, revealing the healing power of connection and community in the recovery process.
Grace, a clinical program manager at the Butterfly Foundation, discusses the significance of incorporating lived experience into treatment programs, shedding light on the gaps often faced when transitioning from inpatient care to home.
Throughout the episode, our guests reinforce that recovery is not a linear process but a continual journey shaped by personal growth, community support, and resilience. Listeners will gain valuable insights into the individual nature of recovery, the importance of representation in mental health services, and practical tips for navigating the path to healing.
Resources:
- Butterfly National Helpline: 1800 33 4673 (1800 ED HOPE)
- Chat online
- Find professionals screened for their understanding of eating disorders
- For treatment after in patient care in a hospital or residential treatment centre, see Next Steps.
Connect:
Follow Yvie Jones on Instagram here
Follow Butterfly Foundation on Instagram here
Production Team:
- Produced by Yvie Jones and Sam Blacker from The Podcast Butler
- Executive Producer: Camilla Becket
- Supported by the Waratah Education Foundation
For more information about this episode, visit www.butterfly.org.au/podcast and click through to this episode.
If you're concerned about an eating disorder for yourself or someone you care about, please reach out to the Butterfly National Helpline or chat online with one of their specialist counsellors. Remember, it's okay to seek a second opinion if you feel misunderstood. Recovery is possible with the right support.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In this episode of Let's Talk, Yvie Jones engages in a heartfelt conversation about body image and self-acceptance as she speaks with broadcaster Myf Warhurst, research psychologist Professor Navjot Bhullar, endocrinologist Dr. Yvonne Chow, and actor and singer Mia Morrissey. Together, they delve into the complexities of body image in women, and why women are disproportionately impacted by body dissatisfaction and eating disorders.
This discussion looks at various areas across a woman’s life span, including Myf's personal journey with aging and relationships, the psychological impact of societal standards as explained by Navjot, and Yvonne's insights on the role of hormones in a woman’s experience of her body over time. Mia shares her own experience with an eating disorder, and how physical health challenges alongside appearance ideals influenced her well-being.
In the end, the episode calls for more understanding and kindness towards ourselves and our bodies. For the sake of all women, it’s time to resist toxic social prescriptions by basing our value on the way that we look.
Resources:
- Butterfly National Helpline: 1800 33 4673 (1800 ED HOPE)
- Chat online
- For more information and resources for women go to Butterfly’s dedicated page here.
- Read the full findings of the Butterfly Foundation and KPMG Appearance Ideals report
- Find professionals screened for their understanding of eating disorders
- Download your personalised support script to take to your GP here.
Connect:
Follow Yvie Jones on Instagram here
Follow Butterfly Foundation on Instagram here
Production Team:
- Produced by Yvie Jones and Sam Blacker from The Podcast Butler
- Executive Producer: Camilla Becket
- Supported by the Waratah Education Foundation
For more information about this episode, visit www.butterfly.org.au/podcast and click through to this episode.
If you're concerned about an eating disorder for yourself or someone you care about, please reach out to the Butterfly National Helpline or chat online with one of their specialist counsellors. Recovery is possible with the right support.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In this episode of Let's Talk, Yvie Jones dives into the hidden costs of body dissatisfaction and appearance-based discrimination in Australia. This discussion centres around the ground breaking "Appearance Ideals" report, commissioned by the Butterfly Foundation, to uncover the societal and economic toll of body image concerns.
Joining Yvie are Sarah Squire, Head of Knowledge, Research, and Policy at Butterfly Foundation, Elizabeth Clark, a partner and researcher from KPMG and lived experience advocate Evie Gardiner. Together, they explore the staggering statistics behind body dissatisfaction, the widespread impact of appearance-based discrimination, and the urgent need for policy reform.
This episode shares how body dissatisfaction affects over four million Australians, leading to significant mental and physical health challenges, economic strain, and social exclusion. The discussion highlights the role of social and cultural pressures, the financial burden of appearance-related expenses, and the intersectional nature of discrimination affecting diverse communities.
Resources:Butterfly National Helpline: 1800 33 4673 (1800 ED HOPE)
Cost of Appearance Ideals: Read the full findings of the Butterfly Foundation and KPMG research.
Find a Professional screened for their understanding of body image and eating disorders.
Connect:Follow Yvie Jones on Instagram here.
Follow Butterfly Foundation on Instagram here.
Production Team:Produced by Yvie Jones and Sam Blacker from The Podcast Butler
Executive Producer: Camilla Becket
Supported by the Waratah Education Foundation
If you're concerned about an eating disorder for yourself or someone you care about, please reach out to the Butterfly National Helpline or chat online with one of our specialist counsellors. Recovery is possible with the right support.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In this powerful episode of Let’s Talk, we shift the conversation around body-image and eating disorders beyond youth and into midlife and later. Many assume that disordered eating is a struggle faced primarily by teenagers and young adults, but the reality is that body image concerns and eating disorders can persist—or even begin—when you’re older.
Yvie is joined by Professor Gemma Sharp – a leading expert in eating disorders and body image at the University of Queensland; Kelly Griffin, who shares his experience as a male with an eating disorder that began at age 40; and Sue Cody, age 55, who experienced a relapse during perimenopause and shares her story of finding support.
The conversation covers many topics – including the stigma and misconceptions around eating disorders in older adults, the impact of ageism and cultural narratives on body image, unique challenges in accessing appropriate care later in life and the importance of talking, advocacy, peer support, and ongoing research into this population.
Resources:
- Butterfly National Helpline: 1800 33 4673 (1800 ED HOPE)
- Chat online
- Download your personalised support script to take to your GP here.
- Find professionals screened for their understanding of eating disorders here.
- More Resources can be found here
- Butterfly’s Peer Mentoring Program can be found here
- The menopause and eating disorders free online course can be found here
- Register for the free international Consortium for Research in Eating Disorders here (This is open to anyone with an interest in eating disorders research, especially those with a lived experience)
Connect:
Follow Yvie Jones on Instagram here
Follow Butterfly Foundation on Instagram here
Production Team:
- Produced by Yvie Jones and Annette Staglieno from Classic Me Productions
- Executive Producer: Camilla Becket
- Supported by the Waratah Education Foundation
For more information about this episode, visit butterfly.org.au/podcast and click through to this episode.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In this episode of Let’s Talk, Yvie sits down with Jackson Rose, Helpline Supervisor at Butterfly Foundation, to explore the hidden risks of New Year’s resolutions. While the desire to improve or change ourselves isn’t inherently problematic, black-and-white thinking about ‘good’ and ‘bad’ behaviours—particularly around food and exercise—can carry serious psychological and physical risks.
Jackson shares insights into how societal pressures and rigid resolutions around weight loss and fitness can do more harm than good, offering practical tips on how to recognise and navigate these challenges in the new year. Whether you’re feeling uneasy about your body after the holiday festivities or worried about a loved one, this episode encourages a more balanced, compassionate, and sustainable approach to self-care.
Resources:
Butterfly National Helpline: 1800 33 4673 (1800 ED HOPE)
Chat online
If you feel you may be at risk, check out our screening tool here.
Find professionals screened for their understanding of eating disorders here.
Resources can be found here.
Connect
Follow Yvie Jones on Instagram here.
Follow Butterfly Foundation on Instagram here.
Production Team:
Produced by Yvie Jones and Annette Staglieno from Classic Me Productions
Executive Producer: Camilla Becket
Supported by the Waratah Education Foundation
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In this episode, Yvie explores the challenging issue of body image pressures facing men and, with her guests, examines how toxic standards impact male self-perception. How can men support one another and challenge these harmful expectations to create greater body acceptance and more compassionate spaces for their own bodies and others?
Joining Yvie are:
Konan Masuda, an 18-year-old with lived experience, candidly discusses the pressures young men face from peers, social media, and societal expectations, providing a raw look at how these challenges can shape their self-image.
Brock McLean, a former AFL star, opens up about his battle with bulimia nervosa during and after his career in elite sports. Brock sheds light on the intense pressures athletes face to meet physical and performance ideals, and how acknowledging his vulnerability and seeking help became key to his healing.
Nic Bloom, a mental health first aid trainer and advocate, shares invaluable, actionable advice on identifying body image struggles in men, starting supportive conversations, and breaking through the stigma that often prevents men from seeking help.
This episode explores the cultural and psychological factors driving toxic body standards for men, offering hope, practical strategies, and a call to action aimed at breaking the silence, reshaping ideals, and encouraging men to speak out.
Resources:
- Butterfly National Helpline: 1800 33 4673 (1800 ED HOPE)
- Chat online
- Download your personalised support script to take to your GP here.
- Find professionals screened for their understanding of eating disorders here.
- Resources can be found here.
Connect:
Follow Yvie Jones on Instagram here.
Follow Butterfly Foundation on Instagram here.
Find out more about Konan Masuda.
Find out more about Brock McLean.
Find out more about Nic Bloom.
Production Team:
Produced by Yvie Jones and Annette Staglieno from Classic Me Productions
Executive Producer: Camilla Becket
Supported by the Waratah Education Foundation
If you're concerned about an eating disorder for yourself or someone you care about, please reach out to the Butterfly National Helpline or chat online with one of their specialist counselors. Remember, it's okay to seek a second opinion if you feel misunderstood. Recovery is possible with the right support.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In this episode of ‘Let’s Talk’, Yvie dives into a meaningful conversation about body image and eating disorders, specifically within multicultural communities. Despite the pervasive nature of eating disorders across backgrounds, unique cultural and linguistic barriers can often amplify the challenges for those seeking support and understanding.
Yvie is joined by two courageous women who share their experiences navigating cultural expectations and stigma; the discussion highlights barriers to accessing healthcare and the unique challenges these communities face. Psychologist Anila Azhar from Glebe Point Road Psychology adds insight into the importance of culturally sensitive care, addressing common challenges professionals face in treating diverse patients and offering strategies to improve support for individuals from varied cultural backgrounds.
Resources:
- Butterfly National Helpline: 1800 33 4673 (1800 ED HOPE)
- Chat online
- Download your personalised support script to take to your GP here.
- Find professionals screened for their understanding of eating disorders here.
- Additional resourcescan be found here
Connect
Follow Yvie Jones on Instagram here
Follow Butterfly Foundation on Instagram here
Learn more about Anila Azahar and her practice here
Production Team:
- Produced by Yvie Jones and Annette Staglieno from Classic Me Productions
- Executive Producer: Camilla Becket
- Supported by the Waratah Education Foundation
For more information about this episode, visit butterfly.org.au/podcast and click through to this episode.
Next Steps:
If you're concerned about an eating disorder for yourself or someone you care about, please reach out to the Butterfly National Helpline or chat online with one of their specialist counsellors. Remember, it's okay to seek a second opinion if you feel misunderstood. Recovery is possible with the right support.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In this episode of "Let's Talk," our new host, Yvie Jones, speaks with Dr. Preeya Alexander about the vital role of General Practitioners (GPs) in supporting patients with body image issues and eating disorders. Dr Preeya shares her unique insights into how GPs can build trust with their patients, collaborate with specialists, and navigate the challenges of treating eating disorders with sensitivity and care.
We learn how social media misinformation fueled Dr Preeya’s passion for addressing body image issues and eating disorders and explore the impact of unconscious bias in patient care, plus how GPs can recognise early warning signs by understanding key risk factors and symptoms. Dr Preeya also offers practical advice for GPs on approaching patients who may have eating disorders by using compassionate and culturally sensitive language to build trust. The goal is commitment to their recovery.
Resources Mentioned in This Episode:
- Butterfly National Helpline: 1800 33 4673 (1800 ED HOPE)
- Free, confidential support from specialist counsellors.
- Chat online
- Support Script: Download your personalised support script to take to your GP here.
- Butterfly Referral Database: Find professionals screened for their understanding of eating disorders here.
Follow Dr. Preeya Alexander:
Instagram: @doctor.preeya.alexander
Follow Yvie Jones:
Instagram: @Yvie_Jones
Production Team:
- Produced by Yvie Jones and Annette Staglieno from Classic Me Productions
- Executive Producer: Camilla Becket
- Supported by the Waratah Education Foundation
For more information about this episode, visit butterfly.org.au/podcast and click through to this episode.
Next Steps:
If you're concerned about an eating disorder for yourself or someone you care about, please reach out to the Butterfly National Helpline or chat online with one of their specialist counsellors. Remember, it's okay to seek a second opinion if you feel misunderstood. Recovery is possible with the right support.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In today's digital age, young people are constantly bombarded with images and messages on social media that can deeply impact their wellbeing, including their body image.
Navigating this landscape can be challenging, both for young people and the parents, carers, and educators who support them.
How can we guide young people through the ever-evolving digital world? In this episode, three experts share their invaluable insights:
- Hannah Jarman, Research Fellow in the School of Psychology at Deakin University, explores the complex and far-reaching influences of social media on body image and eating disorders, shedding light on how these platforms can shape young minds.
- Cara Webber, Head of Strategy & Policy | Education, Prevention and Inclusion at the eSafety Commissioner, discusses strategies for creating safer online experiences for young people and protecting them from online harms.
- Zoe Bradbury, Communications Specialist at Butterfly Foundation, shares her firsthand experiences with the harms of social media, having faced her own challenges with an eating disorder. Today, she works to improve online spaces by challenging myths and stereotypes and promoting kinder, more inclusive attitudes around bodies.
Tune in as we discuss actionable techniques and skills that will empower anyone who supports young people online, and introduce Body Kind Online Education, an exciting evidence-based initiative developed by Butterfly in collaboration with other experts for Australian schools. Whether you're a parent, educator, or caregiver, this episode is both a guide to Body Kind Online Education, as well as a tip-sheet to help you guide the young people you love through the challenges of online life.
Find out more about body kind online education
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The myth that eating disorders only affect women means there are still too many men who aren’t getting help.
While it’s great to see more women accepting and celebrating their bodies for the way they were born to be, body image issues and eating disorders are mental health issues that do not discriminate. The difference is that they often look different in men, who are more likely to over exercise, abuse muscle building substances and engage in unsustainable diets. In pursuit of a big, tall, muscular and lean ideal, destructive behaviours can easily lead to both physical problems and psycho-social distress.
Our guest, Alex Rodriguez, went through his own battle with eating and exercise, became an accredited dietitian, and now supports other men in recovery.
“Our worth as men, or as human beings, is not determined by what we look like, nor how we eat, nor how good we are at “insert name’ exercise,” he says. "Much of my work includes normalising and destigmatising mental health experiences. I just want the world to be a safer, less judgemental, more accepting place."
Listen to Alex on body ideals in relation to men, their experience of eating disorders, and how a sympathetic health professional can support a more genuine and sustainable health.
Find out more about Alex Rodriguez
Find a Health Professional
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
There can be shame, guilt and fear attached to a struggle with one’s body or eating, not to mention confusion about whether you, or your loved one, may have a diagnosable or treatable problem. These are just some of the reasons why too many people don’t ask for help. It’s a pity, because talking to a professional can be life-changing. That’s why the Australian Government provides funding to the Butterfly National Helpline, a free and discreet information and support service available to anyone, anywhere in Australia. It's a safe space to connect with a trained counsellor; all you need is the courage to take that first step.
“You need somebody who understands how complex and multifaceted eating and body image-related struggles can be,” says Ayesha Khan, the Helpline’s Clinical Operations Lead. “Everyone is welcome to contact us with their questions or concerns. Typically, people experiencing an issue with their eating behaviours reach out, but it could also be their family members or friends. Many health professionals contact us too.
”We asked Ayesha to walk us through how to use the Helpline, what it can and cannot do, what help-seekers can expect when they connect, and her insider’s view of the service.
Tune in to our latest episode to discover how the Butterfly National Helpline can support you, your loved one, or your client.
Contact the Butterfly National Helpline
If you are in crisis contact Triple Zero
If you are in crisis, contact Lifeline
If you are a young person in crisis, contact Kids Helpline
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Carolyn Costin is one of the most well-known names in eating disorder recovery treatment. Her book, Eight Keys to Recovery from an Eating Disorder, is a pioneering work that was published more than a decade ago and is still regarded as a central text in the field.
Some people think of eating disorders in terms of addiction, with programs to actively get drugs, alcohol, and other addictions out of one’s life. The problem is you can’t do that with food: “You have to learn how to deal with it”, says Carolyn. “It's very different.”
Her eight keys provide insights and steps for facing the daunting task of recovery. From her own lived experience, and extensive work in the field, Carolyn clarifies the overarching topics for us to work through and come to the other side of this illness.
In fact, she's had a hand in numerous initiatives to progress full recovery throughout her career. She developed the first residential treatment centre in the United States that has been replicated in other countries, including Australia. She’s also training recovery coaches to address the very real gaps in care. Carolyn is perennially interesting, and her message of hope is always enlightening.
Read the 8 keys to recovery from an eating disorder
Learn more about Wandi Nerida residential treatment
Learn more about Carolyn Costin
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Going through fertility treatment can be a nerve-wracking and sometimes demoralising experience. When it’s coupled with a past or current eating disorder, the whole process can be even more complicated.
Why? “Fertility difficulties and going through fertility treatment can increase the risk of an eating disorder, but also, eating disorders can impact fertility,” says National Eating Disorder Collaboration National Manager, Dr. Sarah Trobe.
The NEDC has a new program to help educate health professionals about these issues. It’s important because the intersection between those seeking fertility treatment and those with eating disorders is surprisingly high. Not enough health practitioners are yet aware of this.
“Up to 16% of those seeking fertility care are also experiencing a current eating disorder, which is much higher than the general population,” says Dr. Trobe. "And around 25% have a past lived experience.”
Listen to Dr. Trobe share up-to-the-minute learnings from NEDC’s work in this space and how health care professionals can identify risks and respond appropriately when needed. Importantly, Dr. Trobe also offers insights and tips for self-care around eating and body image for people in treatment, as well as for those thinking about starting the process.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
A staggering ninety-five percent of young Australians aged between 12 and 18 are experiencing some level of body image concern, and more than half are unhappy with how their body looks. That’s according to Butterfly’s second Body Kind Youth Survey.
With body dissatisfaction playing a significant role in the development of eating disorders, it’s not surprising that this data makes sense in relation to Butterfly’s latest Paying the Price Report, which shows 27% of individuals with an eating disorder are aged 19 or younger.
It's quite clear there’s a problem, but what can we do? How can parents and caregivers reduce risk and support the individual young people they love?
In this episode of Let’s Talk, we invited our audience to submit their direct questions. Then we asked Helen Bird, Butterfly’s Education Manager and Lead on the Survey, to respond.
While acknowledging that it’s not always easy talking to teens, Helen delivered.
“We live in a society where body size matters,” she says. “And people are picking up very strong messages from a young age. It’s in the media, in books, in the toys that they're playing with.”
The trick is to focus on health-promoting behaviours, that is, ensuring that our teens are eating nutritious food, they’re moving regularly, they're getting enough sleep, they're practising self-care strategies, and that they have positive coping mechanisms. These are the things that contribute to our teens’ health and happiness; it's not necessarily about their shape and weight.
And if you are noticing signs of a problem? “Lean in with compassion and curiosity,” says Helen. “Talk about the things that you've noticed, but in terms of your young person’s feelings and moods. Again, try not to focus on weight or eating behaviours because that’s quite likely to be met with resistance.”
Tune in for more of Helen’s wise and empowering tips, even if you might have body image issues yourself. Working to heal your own relationship with your body is not only good for you but also for the people around you, including your teens.
Find out more about Butterfly's Body Kind Youth Survey Findings
Find out more about Butterfly's Body Kind Families
Find out more Butterfly's Education and Prevention Services
Find out more about our Paying the Price Report
Contact our Helpline
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The concept of including peers in your treatment team, that is people who have recovered from a similar health experience to yours, is not new in healthcare.
Alcoholics Anonymous, for example, has successfully engaged the support of recovered people—called sponsors—since the 1930s.
And, today, peer support is widely seen as a vital part of an eating disorder recovery team.
“Peer work is a new space compared to clinical support, but it is incredibly powerful,” says Reece Georgas, a peer worker in Butterfly’s new Next Steps program that offers support to people discharging from hospital care. “I think it's a game changer.”
Reece turned years of difficult mental health challenges and an eating disorder into something of value for others on a path he knows well.
“Out of all the hospitals I've been in, the one where the therapist had a lived experience and where the groups were peer led – this is what I found to be most beneficial.”
Listen to Reece’s honest description of his own experience and how peer workers are skilled to use their mental health story intentionally to support others safely.
Find out more about Butterfly's Next Steps Program
Find out more about Butterfly's Peer-led Recovery Support Group
Find out more about Butterfly's Peer-led Program for Carers
Read our Peer Workforce Guidelines
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Improvements in quality of life and reduced healthcare costs are just some of the benefits uncovered in study by Monash University into Wandi Nerida, Australia’s only non-hospital residential treatment program
The 13 bed private facility provides holistic, person-centred inpatient care on Queensland’s Gold Coast.
“We're trying to step away from that kind of more clinical hospital feel, where everything's super sterile,” Want Nerida’s clinical lead, Dr Carly Roukos, tells us. “We try to have it feel as much not like a hospital as possible and as much like a home as we can.”
As Australia's rates of eating disorders continue to rise the need for more intensive inpatient recovery programs is also rapidly increasing.
In this episode of Let’s Talk in Depth, she opens up with host Sam Ikin about the process of creating Wandi Nreida and what it’s like for its participants.
“You have a dietitian and a therapist that work with you throughout the duration of your stay,” Dr Roukos says. “They meet with you a couple of times each week, and they help you kind of move through the programme and really tailor the treatment to your needs.”
But that’s just the beginning of what set’s Wandi apart. “Above and beyond that more kind of traditional therapy stuff, we offer a lot of extra more creative, expressive therapies, and a lot of it is surrounded with is sort of based in connecting with nature connecting with animals.”
Dr Roukos has been with the centre since 2020 before it had even started to take patients and has played a big in helping to guide the successful clinical program. “Anybody is welcome to apply. And that includes people from overseas, we've had some overseas participants come through, but the majority of our participants are currently from Australia.”
For more information on Wandi Nerida you can go to wandinerida.org.au.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Please note: This episode was briefly published prematurely on the 4th of April. If you listened to it then we apologise for the repeat.
If you’ve ever wondered what the public in Australia knows and thinks about eating disorders and body image issues, this episode will put all your questions to rest. We unpack the latest findings from Butterfly's 2024 Community Insights Report with our Head of Knowledge, Research and Policy who shares her perspective on some enlightening results.
The report focuses on community awareness, perceptions, and attitudes, and while Dr. Squire shares the key findings, she also compares these with a previous report published four years ago. What are the implications of community understanding (and misunderstanding) for those with lived experience and the sector at large? Has anything changed?
One key part of the study reveals some dangerous myths and stereotypes surrounding eating disorders, and Dr Squire examines how various misconceptions impact those who might need support.
“We need to understand that eating disorder stigma is complex, important, and under researched. And we can't identify signs and symptoms or support people to seek help without understanding how public stigma and, consequently, self-stigma works for people because stigma around eating disorders is different to other types of mental health stigma.”
Listen to Dr. Squire explain it all – you'll be surprised by what we found out.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE 2024 COMMUNITY INSIGHTS REPORT
ARE YOU AT RISK? TRY OUR NEW SCREENING TOOL
JOIN OUR 101 WEBINAR ABOUT EATING DISORDERS ON APRIL 17
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT DR. SARAH SQUIRE
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
We often talk about the psycho-emotional costs of eating disorders for those living with them; but up to this point, we haven’t learned much about the costs to society.
Now we know. Since 2012, there’s been a shocking 36 per cent increase in the economic burden of eating disorders to the people of Australia. In the meantime, 1.1 million people in this country are currently living with an eating disorder – that's an increase of 21% in only ten years.
These and many other disturbing metrics are in the new Paying the Price Report, produced by Deloitte Access Economics and Butterfly. “In terms of economic cost, we're talking sixty-seven billion dollars per year,” says Jim Hungerford, Butterfly’s CEO. “Yet, in comparison, the amount of money that is spent to prevent eating disorders or to support people who do develop them is actually minuscule.”
Chantel, invested in their recovery, can relate - including that their condition could have been prevented. “The cost of my eating disorder takes up about 20% of my annual income," they say. “And this is even with Medicare rebates and private health insurance. To access a therapist for fortnightly sessions, a dietitian for quarterly sessions and a psychiatrist for quarterly sessions to manage my medication, costs me up to $11,738.97 cents every year.”
Chantel isn’t alone, and action is needed to change the paradigm, not only for the community but for the sake of taxpayers too. Listen to Butterfly’s CEO, Jim Hungerford, Deloitte’s reporting lead, Simone Cheung, and people with living experience unpack the report, and what it means for the future of prevention and care.
Find out more about Paying the Price Report
Find out more about the Parliamentary Friends Group
Find out more about Simeone Cheung
Find out more about Deloitte Access Economics
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
We should let you know that this episode discusses sexual abuse and comes with a trigger warning. It's about trauma, which is an individual’s response to an event or series of events that have deeply disturbed their sense of safety, security, or well-being.
While research shows a clear intersection between trauma or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and eating disorders, too few health professionals include trauma therapy in their practice. Why? They’re concerned that by opening the “trauma box” there’ll be a worsening of symptoms or relapse.
The problem is that this assumption is wrong. Not all people with eating disorders have indeed experienced trauma, but clinicians need to be trauma-informed to support their clients in understanding and addressing what they may have lived through. This is because appropriate discovery with appropriate care will have a positive impact on their eating behaviours.
Listen to leading clinicians and people with lived experience of both trauma and eating disorders discuss this difficult but important topic, with useful insights on what can help.
Find out more about dr Mandy Goldstein
Find out more about Archana Waller
Find out more about Lucia Osborne-Crowley
Contact the Butterfly National Helpline
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
This month we’re talking to a distinguished social epidemiologist and behavioural scientist at the Harvard Chan School of Public Health. Her name is Professor Bryn Austin, and her research focuses on public health approaches to eating disorders.
Our conversation begins with an overview of the web that connects consumer culture, corporate exploitation, and the pervasive influence of diet culture on body image. “We’ve known for decades how harmful the consumer marketplace can be with diet culture, the diet industry, diet pills and supplements, and all the negative body image pressures that come through media, social media and advertising,” she says. “People have been writing about this for decades.”
The problem is we still need to more deeply understand–and do more to address—what corporations are doing to exploit diet culture for profit.
Don’t miss Professor Austin’s wise perspective. Not only does she share her thoughts on the complexities of the body image and eating disorders landscape, but she also discusses the transformative potential of strategic initiatives, including what her Harvard-based laboratory did to protect young Americans from predatory diet-industry profiteering.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT PROFESSOR BRYN AUSTIN
READ ABOUT AUSTRALIA’S NATIONAL EATING DISORDERS STRATEGY
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
We’re talking about the higher-weight paradox, particularly when well-meaning health professionals can trigger an eating disorder or make one worse.
Not everything health issue is solved by losing weight, yet that is what people in larger bodies too often hear. Worse, numerous people living with eating disorders remain undiagnosed and untreated because the stereotype of an eating disorder doesn’t fit their reality.
Melissa says she had an eating disorder from age 12 but wasn’t diagnosed until age 22. In fact, her unhelpful behaviours were encouraged: “All that my doctors cared about was for me to lose weight,” she says.
Professor Leah Brennan of Latrobe University reports that eating disorders occur across the size spectrum and the prevalence of eating disorders is actually greater in people in larger bodies.
One problem, says GP Samantha Wyton, is that people in non-typical body shapes and sizes are too often made to feel unsafe and unwelcome in medical settings.
“We’re taught that obesity is a disease in medical training,” she says. But it’s a lot more complex than that. “We need to embrace the full spectrum of shapes and sizes, because that’s the reality of the human condition.”
Dietitian Dr Fiona Willer, agrees. “The effect of weight centrism, particularly in primary care, is that people will delay going to the doctor until they can’t avoid it,” she says. And that effectively creates an issue for all their health outcomes, not only body image and eating disorders.
Listen to Sam unpack this issue with our group of concerned and articulate guests, including their thoughts about how we can and must change.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE RISKS AND WARNING SIGNS
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT PROFESSOR LEAH BRENNAN
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT DR SAMANTHA WYTON
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT DR FIONA WILLER
LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR #QUIETTHENOISE CAMPAIGN FEATURING SARAH COX
FIND A PROFESSIONAL
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
At the recent Australia and New Zealand Academy for Eating Disorders conference on the Gold Coast, we spoke to experts about new and groundbreaking insights into eating disorders. This episode is the second in a series of two.
Dr Simon Wilksch unpacks his work around the significant financial and emotional costs that families face when caring for children with eating disorders and, to improve outcomes, why he recommends that parents and caregivers receive support too.
Monash’s Courney McLean talks about the complex relationship between vegetarianism, veganism, and eating disorders, and the tool she’s developing to assess motivation for adopting to a plant-based diet. Her work points the way to improved diagnosis and care for vegetarians and vegans experiencing eating disorders.
Belinda Chelius, CEO of Eating Disorders Queensland, explains her evidence-based rationale for including lived experience practitioners in eating disorder treatment, and why lived experience has always provided the infrastructure for EDQs work.
Finally, Dr. Renee Denham, a child and adolescent psychiatrist based in Brisbane, describes the interplay between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and restrictive eating, and how we can identify and help those kids affected.
These conversations reveal the multifaceted nature of eating disorders and the innovative approaches being taken to address them.
Find out more about ANZAED
Find out more about Simon Wilksch
Find out more about Courtney McLean
Find out more about Belinda Chelius
Find out more about Renee Denham
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The key to understanding any mental illness is to listen to those who have been through it. Not only can the voices of those with lived experience of an eating disorder help those who are currently impacted, but they also, importantly, serve to educate the health professionals who will provide care.
The evidence is clear: Services that are co-designed with those who know their own situation will always have the best chance of success.
That’s why the voice of lived experience is being embedded in most new treatment initiatives, including the recently launched and much heralded National Eating Disorders Strategy of 2023 – 2033.
Our guest, Shannon Calvert, experienced a longstanding and severe eating disorder and through the ups and downs of her own journey has since dedicated her life in recovery as a much needed voice and advocate for others.
“Through my own recovery, there were health professionals that didn’t want to do eating disorders or didn’t know how to do eating disorders. It was too complex, too challenging for them. That shifted my perspective in terms of how we can do things differently", she says.
Today, Shannon collaborates with all parts of the sector -- health professionals, researchers, and policymakers to develop person-centered, compassionate and integrated health care for better outcomes for everyone.
Learn more about Shannon Calvert
Learn more about the National Strategy for eating disorders
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
We snuck into the annual Australia and New Zealand Academy for Eating Disorders (ANZAED) conference to illuminate the future of eating disorder diagnosis and care. We recorded on-site at the conference, where we asked various speakers to give us a taste of their research for the sake of all those who’d be interested but couldn’t be there.
Segment 1: Reviewing current treatment approaches
Dr. Anthea Fursland, a distinguished clinical psychologist for the past 40 years, shares a candid perspective on the strides made in treatment, especially for Anorexia Nervosa, but offers insights about the gap between new understandings and legacy approaches to care.
Segment 2: NDIS engagement for people with eating disorders
Hilary Smith, a National Manager at the National Eating Disorder Collaboration (NEDC), talks about what may be required and what we still need to know for people with eating disorders to access support from the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
Segment 3: Body dysmorphic disorder and cosmetic surgery
The point where body dysmorphic disorder and cosmetic surgery intersect is where researcher Dr Toni Pikoos does much of her work. She’s been deeply involved in crafting new, enforceable guidelines to protect the psychological safety of patients.
Segment 4: The possibility of laws to protect body image
Marilyn Bromberg is an Associate Professor of Law at UWA and an expert on laws that discourage content researchers understand to negatively impact body image. While there is some precedent in other parts of the world, we can do more in Australia.
Segment 5: Dealing with an eating disorders crisis and emergency care
Mental health occupational therapist Genevieve Pepin presented on “Eating disorders, carers, and the emergency department: A recipe for disaster.” It’s a carer’s worst nightmare, and Genevieve tells us just how bad it can get and how we can make the experience less traumatic for families.
This is the first of two episodes covering the conference. Look out for Part 2 in October 23.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE ANNUAL ANZAED CONFERENCE
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT ANTHEA FURSLAND
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT NEDC’S WORK AROUND THE NDIS
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT TONI PIKOOS
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT MARILYN BROMBERG
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT GENEVIEVE PEPIN
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According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the DSM-V–also known as the psychiatrist’s bible–there are only four official diagnoses for eating disorders. Though experts expect that number to double in the next edition, the reasons someone might develop or maintain an eating disorder are as variable as the number of people affected.
This is because eating disorders are not just a set of behaviours. They are a way of coping with difficult things.
Psychologist and former Butterfly Helpline Manager, Juliette Thomson, specialises in a person-centred, holistic approach to recovery. “An eating disorder is often the tip of an iceberg,” she says, “Underneath, there is likely a lot more going on for a person about themselves in their lives.”
To help someone struggling with an eating disorder, a therapist will seek to understand their psychological and social reality. That’s why there shouldn’t be a one-size-fits-all approach; people need treatment plans tailored to their own situation. In addition, insists Juliette, you don’t need to be certain that you even want to recover, as a good therapist should support you wherever you’re at.
Listen to Juliette explain why she tells clients that recovery may be the hardest thing they’ll ever do in their life, and why it will also be the most rewarding.
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There’s a medication for almost every illness, and that’s true for mental illnesses,
including eating disorders. But how do they work, and how do they help? We’re
launching our fourth season of Butterfly: Let’s Talk with an investigation into
medications used to treat people with eating disorders, including some brand-new
developments that could offer hope.
“Many people with an eating disorder will be prescribed some kind of psychiatric
medication,” says psychiatrist Professor Richard Newton, who has been working in
the sector since the 1980s. “But most of those treatments will be for associated
concerns such as anxiety, depression, poor sleep, hearing voices, obsessive-
compulsive disorder, etc. They’re more adjunct interventions and are not for the
eating disorder itself.”
Having suffered from an eating disorder since age 11, Emma has tried
several different prescriptions. “I was first given a psychiatric medication when I
was 14,” she tells us. “It was an antidepressant, and it helped. It showed me that
there was something chemically not quite right.” Later, she was prescribed
antipsychotics, that she says also helped.
In this podcast, we talk about psilocybin, the psychedelic chemical associated with
magic mushrooms. "Psychedelic drugs offer an incredible way to access an altered state of consciousness that can change how people think about their
behaviour,” says neurologist and researcher Dr Claire Foldi. While psilocybin is still
undergoing clinical trials, she's upbeat about its potential for eating disorders.
We also go into depth with Dr Kristi Griffiths, who has studied Vyvanse, a stimulant
traditionally prescribed for ADHD, now being used to treat people with Bulimia
Nervosa and Binge Eating Disorder. “In one randomized study," she says, "People
who took Vyvance over a set period had around a 4% relapse rate. That's a
pretty low rate.”
Listen to our experts and Emma, who believes that she is well into recovery thanks in part to her medications. Perhaps this episode will offer insights for you, your client’s or your loved one’s treatment plan.
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The results from the new Butterfly Body Kind Youth Survey are in, and they’re concerning. More than 1600 young people aged 12-18 took part in the survey, with at least half saying they were dissatisfied with their bodies. About one in three kids say they’re completely dissatisfied with the way that they look.
"The problem is there’s a real cost to young people's body dissatisfaction," says Helen Bird, Butterfly's Education Manager. "A significant number limit their involvement in everyday activities like sports, going to the beach, hanging out with their friends, or going clothes shopping. It’s also impacting their learning. Something like 50% of young people say that their body image has stopped them from putting their hands up in class, focusing on their schoolwork and, for some, even going to school."
In the latest episode of Let’s Talk, our host Sam Ikin talks to Helen, mental health counsellor Stella Ladikos and social worker AJ Williams-Tchen who all work closely with young people and listen to their concerns. He also chats with two high school students who aren’t surprised by the survey results but who make it quite clear that adults and institutions need to be doing a lot more to support them.
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In February this year, ABC dedicated their flagship investigative report, Four Corners, to eating disorders. This was, in part, because of a few Members of Parliament.
The MPs are Teal Independent Zoe Daniel, Liberal Andrew Wallace and Labor’s Susan Templeman. Based on continuous calls for help from their constituents, the three resolved to act for change. To start, they’re co-chairing a new Parliamentary Friends Group for Eating Disorder Awareness to highlight the critical need for more care and support.
“We've been absolutely avalanched in my office by families and people from across the country, saying that it really needs action,” says Zoe Daniel. “And it’s been interesting to have conversations with other MPs. Eating disorders aren't confined to the stereotypical groups.”
Susan Templeman agrees. “I don't think there's an elected office in the country where someone hasn't phoned in at the end of their tether, saying, I don't know what to do. My son or my daughter or my partner is suffering from an eating disorder, and I can't get the help that I need.”
Andrew Wallace was once in a Cabinet meeting where a senior health official assured the Prime Minister that Australia was getting on top of the issue. “I said, sorry, Prime Minister, but I totally disagree with what you've just been told,” he recalls. “We have absolutely no idea how you first suffer from it, why you suffer from it and, importantly, how you best treat it.”
As a carer, Wallace speaks from his own experience, as does Susan Templeman. Eating disorders are mental health issues that do not discriminate. And as more policymakers lean in to educate their political peers, the more hope there will be for real investment in care.
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Many of us remember being teased about our appearance in primary school because it happens - a lot. Perhaps we don’t think about it much now, but chances are the experience has left a mark on who we’ve become. The research is clear: Appearance-based teasing is a key risk factor for a child to develop body dissatisfaction which, in turn, can negatively impact their life outcomes, including their mental health, career, and relationships. Body dissatisfaction is also one of the highest risk factors for eating disorders.
"There's research showing children as young as eight describing their weight and size as a problem because they've experienced appearance-based teasing," says expert researcher Dr Steph Damiano. Appearance-based teasing, which is rife, is also related to more intense disordered attitudes and behaviours around food." To a large degree, this problem is related to cultural stigmas around size and weight, which can be internalised by children as young as three.
"I was always naturally a very low weight and also very tall for my age," says mental health worker Jenna Abbasi, who has lived this firsthand. "I was teased about my size and height, my colour, my teeth, my hair, my nose...I was labelled as the skinniest person in school and a rabbit. It's still very difficult for me not to be self-conscious about my body because the social anxiety from that time has never left."
Psychologist Louise Adams, who counselled clients on body acceptance long before she had her own children, has worked hard to protect them. However, she admits her larger-bodied daughter experienced the full brunt of fat-phobic comments in primary school and still suffers from it.
To address all of this, Butterfly Body Bright was developed in association with experts from La Trobe University to promote body-positive peer environments for younger kids. "The program shifts all of our mindsets," says teacher and pastoral care worker Sarah Price. "We’re not only teaching kids about the impact of what they say to other people but also what they can say to themselves."
"The full program is evidence-based, easy to execute, and comprehensive about developing a positive body image,” says Dr Damiano. Regarding appearance-based teasing, the teachings are all about encouraging children to treat each others' bodies with respect and to stand up for themselves and others in the face of hurtful comments.
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Dr Beth Shelton is a psychologist and long-time director of the National Eating Disorder Collaboration (NEDC), leading a team that develops national standards for preventing and treating eating disorders and works actively to build the system of care.
As a highly respected professional in the field, we asked Beth to explain the different diagnoses for eating disorders, the possible causes, and what she believes constitutes “normal” eating.
First, Beth makes one thing clear: An eating disorder is a mental illness with serious physical and mental health consequences for the person affected. It causes a lot of dysfunction and suffering.
Though there are several separate diagnoses for eating disorders, they are more similar than they are different. Absent recovery, many people move from one form to another. Different eating disorders often manifest from similar risk factors, for example, genetics or psychological profiles.
She also confirms that these conditions do not discriminate. We too often default to thinking about an overly thin teenage girl, but an eating disorder can affect anyone; we don’t see it. An eating disorder is also not a choice – perhaps beginning a diet to lose weight initially may be a conscious decision, but once the eating disorder takes hold, the person affected has lost control of their health and needs support.
Beth puts it best: “No one I've ever worked with or spoken to about an eating disorder would ever choose one or choose one for anyone else.”
Fortunately, she and numerous others in the sector are working tirelessly to help, not only for those with lived experience but for their loved ones and carers too.
Find out more about NEDC
Eating disorders explained
Find out more about Parliamentary Friends Group for Eating Disorder Awareness
Find a Professional
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We’re all subject to continuous appearance-based pressures which impact our self-worth. The LGBTQIA+ community is no different. In fact, it’s a community that faces unique challenges regarding pressures that affect body image. And, for some people, it can escalate during Mardi Gras season.
“People will go on a big shred or a big diet for the month,” says one of Australia’s most popular LGBTQIA+ content creators, Matt, also known as Alright Hey. “As soon as Christmas is over, it starts. Mardi Gras lands around the start of March and people think they have two months to totally transform their body.”
Author, podcaster, and creator Allira Potter says much of the pressure often comes from others in each community. “I feel it 100%. Being a lesbian, I have this pressure to dress and act a certain way.”
Non-binary and queer creator, Jonti Ridley says appearance-based pressure is unhelpful to everyone. “A large facet of the queer community is enforcing these standards that we didn’t even come up with. We don’t even like them. They’re not for us.”
Actor and creator Jeff van de Zandt has this to say: “Mardi Gras prep diets come from a place of hate,” he says. “They come from hating oneself. But Mardi Gras is a celebration of love, a celebration of pride, of all these positive things. It’s just backward to me.”
Mardi Gras is a seminal time for 78er Peter Murphy who was at the very first Mardi Gras, when he was seriously injured by police as they attempted to shut it down. He says it’s not compulsory to do anything special around your appearance at all. “I’m going in comfortable clothes and comfortable shoes and I still expect to have a great time.”
Listen to these fascinating and enlightening guests as they explore body and beauty ideals within the LGBTQIA+ community, how pressures to conform can manifest, and why they’re choosing to participate in WorldPride with BodyPride, starring their unique, kind, and most authentic selves.
CHECK OUT BUTTERFLY’S BODY PRIDE CAMPAIGN
CHECK OUT OUR LGBTQIA+ RESOURCE HUB
FOLLOW ALRIGHT HEY
FOLLOW ALLIRA POTTER
FOLLOW JONTI RIDLEY
FOLLOW JEFF VAN DE ZANDT
QUICK GUIDE TO TERMS – LGBTQIA+
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It goes without saying that we want to give our young children the best start. We also know from years of research that negative body image can impact almost all life outcomes – including relationships, education, and careers.
So how do we protect our children from developing a negative body image? And when should we start? The answer could shock you.
Dr Stephanie Damiano is a psychology researcher and an expert in this space.
“We see quite consistently that around the age of three, children start to develop pretty strong weight attitudes and weight stereotypes around bodies,” she says. "They tend to attribute positive characteristics to thin bodies and negative characteristics to large bodies. Their body image starts to develop a little bit later, around the age of four.”
Biological, psychological, and socio-cultural factors contribute to the development of positive or negative body image. In the socio-cultural space, our kids’ attitudes are shaped by family, the media, and their peers – and this is where adults can influence them.
Dr Damiano also leads Butterfly’s pioneering Body Bright program that is available free to primary schools. Listen to her chat with Sam about helping young kids establish a positive relationship with their bodies for their future well-being and success.
find out more about Butterfly body bright
butterfly body bright - information for families
butterfly body bright - information for schools
for educators - register your school
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The summer holidays usually come with some expectations. We meet the extended family for a holiday meal. We wear fewer clothes in the summer heat. We make new year’s resolutions pushed by the diet industry. We smile and nod at the inevitable comments about our appearance from well-meaning family members. And we’re expected to find all of this a joyous time of year. But it’s events like these that make the summer holiday period difficult for some people, particularly anyone experiencing negative body image or eating disorders.
“How do people look compared to how they looked last year,” says Tania Nichols from Butterfly’s National HelpLine. “Are they bigger or smaller? There’s a lot of anxiety around potential judgement from others and the inevitable comments that go with them.”
“Most of us, in general, start to feel the stress around getting together with people we haven't seen for ages,” Tania tells us. “And of course, that's magnified for people who are experiencing disordered eating and eating disorders because all of these festivities, of course, happen around food.”
Jennifer White suffered from an eating disorder for years and says it was the holiday get-together over food that would always stress her out. “In the Australian culture, people feel comfortable, rightly or wrongly, commenting on how people look, what people wear, and what people eat,” she says. “At functions that I have gone to in the past, whether it be family, friends, work, whatever, it's just something that people say without really having a second thought.”
Clinical psychologist Chris Cheers tells us negative body image can have a huge impact on how people cope with difficult situations. “People connect the way their body looks with their ability to be liked,” he says, “Or to form relationships with people or to get that boyfriend or girlfriend or get that partner, especially if you're single. There seems to be this pressure of you needing to look a particular way to make friends.”
But he says by being aware of a few things, we can make a world of difference for our family and guests. “I think a really helpful question to ask someone is what would support look like for you right now. And we sometimes feel pressure to know how to support people too. And sometimes that can stop us from reaching out or saying anything.”
He says, on a personal level, you can “give yourself permission to notice those expectations,” he says, “But choose instead to go inward, and be guided by what's important to you, be guided by your body and what you need.”
For more tips and advice, go to Butterfly’s Summer of Kindness page. https://butterfly.org.au/get-involved/campaigns/summerofkindness/
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The drive for perfectionism is unusually common in people experiencing body image issues and eating disorders. Perfectionism is quite different from the drive to improve, which is an appropriate and healthy desire. Perfectionistic people, however, believe that "perfect" is possible—and the problem is that it's not. This sets up the perfectionist for continual frustration and disappointment, which in turn leads to mental health issues, including eating disorders.
In this episode, our host Sam Ikin sits down with Professor Tracey Wade, who has spent 30 years researching the intersection of perfectionism and eating disorders. "As a perfectionist, you tend to have high but impossible goals," she says. "And when you inevitably don’t meet them, then self-criticism and depression occur. Perfectionism actually takes people away from success."
In fact, of all the difficult issues it causes, perfectionism has a particularly strong relationship to eating disorders.
Professor Wade spent time with Sam to explore what distinguishes perfectionism from the normal drive to achieve, how it harms health and wellbeing, and how we can learn to think differently for ongoing recovery.
Find out more about Professor Tracey Wade
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The drive for perfectionism is unusually common in people experiencing body image issues and eating disorders. Perfectionism is quite different from the drive to improve, which is an appropriate and healthy desire. Perfectionistic people, however, believe that "perfect" is possible—and the problem is that it's not. This sets up the perfectionist for continual frustration and disappointment, which in turn leads to mental health issues, including eating disorders.
In this episode, our host Sam Ikin sits down with Professor Tracey Wade, who has spent 30 years researching the intersection of perfectionism and eating disorders. "As a perfectionist, you tend to have high but impossible goals," she says. "And when you inevitably don’t meet them, then self-criticism and depression occur. Perfectionism actually takes people away from success."
In fact, of all the difficult issues it causes, perfectionism has a particularly strong relationship to eating disorders.
Professor Wade spent time with Sam to explore what distinguishes perfectionism from the normal drive to achieve, how it harms health and wellbeing, and how we can learn to think differently for ongoing recovery.
Find out more about Professor Tracey Wade
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In this episode, we sit down with occupational therapist Dr Elysa Roberts to discover why OT can be effective in treating eating disorders.
First, what is an occupation? It’s generally defined as “any activity in which one engages”, which means it’s a lot more than just a job. An occupation can include eating, exercising, working, shopping, socialising, parenting, education, time spent on spiritual practice... the list just goes on. Occupations are all the ordinary and everyday activities of life.
An eating disorder can be considered an occupation, but one that isn’t good for your health or well-being. Recovery could also be defined as an occupation, and that’s why Occupational Therapists can play a key role in a person’s treatment team.
Dr Roberts, an OT since the early ‘90s, says that she realised the importance of OT as a treatment modality through her own lived experience.
“I'd go through waves of treatment, be discharged, recover, and then go through it again all while establishing my OT career. Unfortunately, what wasn't happening in those days was strong relapse prevention programmes, or relapse prevention being included as part of recovery.”
Now things are changing. Dr Roberts describes how OT can help – first by bringing a unique and holistic understanding of an individual’s mental, physical and sensory profile, but also by co-designing practical interventions that can make all the difference to ongoing recovery.
If you think you need to find out more about occupational therapists and how they could help you or someone you love, Butterfly could help. Go to Butterfly.org.au or call the Butterfly helpline on 1800 ED HOPE - 1800 33 46 73.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In this episode, we sit down with occupational therapist Dr Elysa Roberts to discover why OT can be effective in treating eating disorders.
First, what is an occupation? It’s generally defined as “any activity in which one engages”, which means it’s a lot more than just a job. An occupation can include eating, exercising, working, shopping, socialising, parenting, education, time spent on spiritual practice... the list just goes on. Occupations are all the ordinary and everyday activities of life.
An eating disorder can be considered an occupation, but one that isn’t good for your health or well-being. Recovery could also be defined as an occupation, and that’s why Occupational Therapists can play a key role in a person’s treatment team.
Dr Roberts, an OT since the early ‘90s, says that she realised the importance of OT as a treatment modality through her own lived experience.
“I'd go through waves of treatment, be discharged, recover, and then go through it again all while establishing my OT career. Unfortunately, what wasn't happening in those days was strong relapse prevention programmes, or relapse prevention being included as part of recovery.”
Now things are changing. Dr Roberts describes how OT can help – first by bringing a unique and holistic understanding of an individual’s mental, physical and sensory profile, but also by co-designing practical interventions that can make all the difference to ongoing recovery.
If you think you need to find out more about occupational therapists and how they could help you or someone you love, Butterfly could help. Go to Butterfly.org.au or call the Butterfly helpline on 1800 ED HOPE - 1800 33 46 73.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
As parents or carers of young people, we like to think we know what's important in young people’s lives. But there's no way to tell what's really going on in their heads. If we're trying to understand young people as a group--their perspective in relation to the world and the culture right now--it's even harder. That's where Mission Australia's Youth Survey comes in.
“It’s the largest national survey of young people in Australia,” says Rachel Christie, head of their Centre for Evidence and Insights. “We get around 20,000 responses from young people each year. It’s a broad-brush survey that tries to understand young people’s aspirations and concerns; what they value, what’s worrying them, what they’re excited about.”
One eye-popping finding is that for the past six years, body image has been one of the top four issues for young people. Since 2017, it’s been one of the top three.
The problem is we’re not entirely sure why.
So Butterfly is on a mission to investigate further, because the Mission Australia survey doesn’t tell us enough. It’s more like a metal detector, admits Christie. Helen Bird, Butterfly’s Education Services Manager, agrees. “If we have better data, then we can better target our education and prevention efforts. We want to do a really deep dive into the body image experiences of young Australians from 12 to 18 years old, so we're launching our own survey this year.”
“I struggled a lot with my relationship with my body in the teen years,” says Clare Hennessy, a Sessional Presenter for Butterfly Body Kind. “The comparison voice that was opened up in me as a kid just got worse as a teenager.”
We do know that our bodies are not the problem, it's our thoughts and feelings about them that cause us distress. With that in mind, the more we know about young people’s experience of body image, the more able we’ll be able to support body kindness – both towards themselves and to others too.
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Liz Dale is a Worimi Woman and Doctor of Psychology whose work involves Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s lived experience of eating disorders and body image concerns, as well as Aboriginal approaches to wellness and care.
A holistic approach is becoming increasingly accepted as key to ongoing recovery. However, many of us steeped in Western European treatment models are still figuring out what a holistic approach might actually mean.
Dr. Dale believes that understanding and appreciating an Indigenous worldview can help. “Aboriginal ways of knowing, being and doing can enhance the mainstream treatment sector,” she says.
To Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, good health as more than merely the absence of disease, and social and emotional wellbeing is the foundation of both physical and mental health. A person’s whole life is involved: their physical, social, emotional, cultural, and spiritual well-being, as well as their connection to Country and community.
“Australia is a very individualistic society,” says Dr. Dale. “That’s a huge contrast to Aboriginal culture, which is entirely collectivist. Our sense of self is inseparable from and embedded within our family and the members of our community. It’s connected to the Country that we’re from, and within that Country, we have access to all the knowledge that we need to understand how to live.”
The problem is that, currently, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are up to three times more likely to experience mental health conditions and eating disorders than their non-Aboriginal peers.
Dr Dale spent time with host Sam Ikin in this episode of Let's Talk in Depth to review why this is true, as well as how culture and community can support any person at risk.
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Paying attention to your appearance is a very human trait. And though we talk about accepting our bodies and learning to love them, most of us still think about our image a lot.
We're not the only species that groom,” says researcher and clinical psychologist Deb Mitchison. “Most species are interested in how they look so it's not a drive that I think we can expect to eliminate.” The problem is that parts of society take advantage of our natural drive to look and be better. They profit from creating insecurities around how we present to the world. This can lead to body image issues and eating disorders.
The situation raises some philosophical questions about our society. At what point does enhancing or investing in our appearance turn into a problem? “There's a need to constantly update yourself or be better than what you are,” says philosopher Mary Zournazi. “It can give you power but be detrimental at the same time.”
In this episode of Butterfly: Let’s Talk, we explore the difference between putting your best foot forward and going too far, both for society and your own physical and mental health.
Talk to the Butterfly National Helpline
Find out about Butterfly's Prevention Programs
read this article: How far is too far?
find out more about Dr. Deb Mitchison
find out more about Mary Zournazi
Follow Jess King on Instagram
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A few years ago, Isabella Davis impulsively took a photo of her body and posted it to her Instagram account. It was an act of defiance. She was sick of being told she wasn’t good enough, that she needed to go on a diet, or that she should aspire to a particular body shape or size. “My feed was just full of perfectly posed images, which are great, but it's just not my reality. And I was just like, ‘Screw it. I'm gonna upload a photo of my body just being a body, just sitting down; a body that's really me.' It was my way of saying, ‘Screw you to diet culture and toxic beauty standards.’”
Today Bella is a wildly popular sex-positive/body-acceptance influencer with a considerable following. We were lucky enough to grab her in between photo shoots to talk about body image and how she’s taking on the toxic beauty culture that dominates social media.
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It’s the most basic of questions and the one most often asked on the Butterfly Helpline: How do you know it’s an eating disorder?
“If you’re even considering that there might be an eating disorder going on,” says Dr. Simon Wilksch, senior eating disorders research fellow at Flinders University, “it’s likely there’s something happening that’s worth checking out.”
Why? The problem is that a key feature of an eating disorder is that the person experiencing it often hides their condition and doesn’t see it as a treatable issue. Meanwhile, left undiagnosed and untreated, an eating disorder can lead to serious and long-lasting physical, psychological, and social consequences.
Matthew knew little about eating disorders, so when his daughter began restricting her diet and increasing her exercising, at first, he believed her reassurances that she was OK. It was only when she had to be hospitalised for malnutrition that he and the family were galvanised into action.
Jane couldn’t relate to the typical symptoms, yet her eating disorder was ruining her life. When she finally broke down exhausted by years of distress and behaviours she got the help that she needed and fully recovered.
The good news is that there are resources that outline the signs, symptoms, and risks, and screening tools for frontline health professionals. First, listen to our new podcast to learn more about what is – or isn’t – an eating disorder.
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If a person experiences a mental health issue, most people know that their family is also affected in varying ways. In this podcast, we look at the impact of eating disorders on siblings– how they feel about their brother or sister’s eating disorder, how they feel about their sibling’s experience, what support they feel able to offer, and what support they may actuallyneed for themselves. It’s a complex family dynamic and one that needs to be handled with awareness - for everyone’s sake.Butterfly’s Clinical Director, Ranjani Utpala, tells us what the research says about the impact on siblings, their role in recovery and what may be helpful for their own wellbeing. Adam, Rose, and Jessica describe life with an eating disorder’s grip on a sibling, their concerns and frustrations, and offer insights from a sibling’s perspective for parents, carers, and health care professionals.
Before she was the CEO of Australia’s Mental Health Commission, Christine Morgan served for 10 years as CEO of Butterfly. And to mark Butterfly’s 20th anniversary, she sat down with Sam Ikin for an in-depth review of eating disorders in Australia. Their conversation included the state of awareness, research, diagnosis, and treatment options - first looking back to 2002 and then looking forward to 20 years from today.“It was pretty horrific back in 2002," she says. “Thank goodness we've moved on.”Christine was instrumental in getting eating disorders on the government’s radar. She commissioned the first economic impact report in 2012 whereby she was able to establish prevalence rates and the effect of eating disorders on the economy. With this as her springboard, she successfully advocated for investment in research, prevention, evidence-based treatments, and psycho-social supports."When you unbundle the economic perspective, you see the impact on somebody's life,” she explains.But the impact report was only one of many contributions Christine has made to people living with eating disorders and those who care about them. Listen to her story and thoughts about the next 20 years for eating disorder prevention and care.If you're keen on reading the Paying the Price report from 2012 you will find on the Butterfly website and if you're really into reports and publications there are plenty on Butterfly's research policy publications page.
To mark 20 years of service to all those affected by body image issues and eating disorders, our new podcast looks at the past, present and future of care. Sam talks to Claire Middleton, the desperate mum who started Butterfly from her kitchen table and in doing so changed hundreds of thousands of lives. He also talks to Shannon Calvert, who lived with an eating disorder for 30 years and has become a career advocate for the voice of lived experience. She currently serves on the Australian Government’s Eating Disorder Technical Advisory Group. Representing the future is Melissa Keller-Tuberg, a young Youth Research Council member whose mission is not only to break down barriers to help seeking, but to build a future that promises more inclusive and more effective prevention, intervention and support.
The teenage years can be fun and exciting but they’re also a period when we’re particularly vulnerable to body image concerns. Young people are developmentally inclined to compare themselves to others, but this developmental drive is intensified by external influences, including the constant presence of social media that showcases unrealistic body ideals.Dr Justin Coulson is one of Australia's most trusted parenting experts and the host of Channel 9’s Parental Guidance. He says developing body acceptance can help teens to build self-esteem and self confidence. In addition, a positive body image can lead to improved mental and physical health later in life.Dr. Coulson says there are ways parents and carers can support young people's growth in this area. He sat down to share his ideas with Sam Ikin for this episode of Let’s Talk In Depth. As the father of six daughters, he also has some experience.
The relationship between autism and eating disorders is not well known but it's surprisingly common. It's so common that some of Australia's top clinicians recommend everyone who lives with an eating disorder take an autism test. "Somewhere between 30 and 35 per cent of individuals with eating disorders may actually also be autistic, but it's likely to have not been diagnosed prior to the onset of the eating disorder," says Dr Amy Talbot, clinical psychologist and director of the Talbot Centre.PhD Candidate, Laurence Cobbaert, knew she had an eating disorder but her autism diagnosis came years later. "I retrospectively analysed my entire existence. And I was like, 'yeah, this makes sense. This is it. This is me'. And everything just fell into place." Laurence says it was huge moment in her life. "It was overwhelming a sense of like rebirth to a certain degree. I didn't feel like I was broken anymore. I just felt like I was me. I was different. And there's nothing wrong with that."She is so fascinated by her own eating disorder and autism that she is using her own experience to guide her PhD study. "I'm investigating the connections between autism and eating disorders"Many clinicians, like Dr Talbot, are working hard to help improve the services available to autistic people who also suffered from eating disorders. But the situation as it stands now is much better than Sue Bloom remembers. Her daughter, Lisa, has lived with an eating disorder for more than three decades and has also been diagnosed with Aspergers. "The doctor said 'No child will willingly starve themselves,' talking to me like an overprotective mother. Another doctor said 'She's just a picky eater. You're overreacting, you being overprotective.' So I had many years of being considered a helicopter mum."
Kai Schweizer, who identifies as gender diverse, first joined the Butterfly podcast in 2020 for the episode Gender, Sexuality and Eating Disorders. Our host Sam spent some time getting to know how Kai’s emerging gender identity at an all-girls secondary school led to disordered eating behaviours. He’s now a respected specialist in LGBTIQA+ issues, including this community’s experience of eating disorders."We know that treating your discomfort with your body, your dysphoria, or your incongruence through disordered eating doesn't solve the problem you're experiencing," he says. "It doesn't reduce the distress that you’re feeling."While Kai's teenage years were a struggle, he found a path to recovery. "It was amazing how quickly, upon starting to feel more congruent in the body I was living in, that it became more comfortable to nourish and care about it," he says. "It is really easy to not care for the body you live in when it doesn't feel permanent. As my body became more of a home for me, it became more important to take better care of myself."Today, Kai’s a sexologist and researcher focused on trans and gender-diverse health. Two in three trans young people have engaged in disordered eating behaviours, and Australia needs safer treatment options for the LGBTIQA+ community. In particular, Kai calls for more understanding that transitioning can play a key role in recovery.For support for body image issues or eating disorders go to butterfly.org.au or call 1800 33 4673 (1800 ED HOPE).If you are experiencing concerns around your gender or sexuality, you can reach out to QLife, qlife.org.au or call 1800 184 527.OR LGBIQ+ Health Australia at lgbtiqhealth.org.au
It’s no secret we’ve been fed overly narrow beauty and body standards through advertising and the media for as long as both have been around. What’s less talked about are the consequences: Constant exposure to idealised bodies promotes body dissatisfaction, poor self-esteem and can trigger serious and life-threatening eating disorders."We’ve grown up with it," says veteran of the magazine industry and founder of Mamamia, Mia Freedman. Not only are most models and celebrities “tall, white, skinny, exceptionally beautiful, flawless, and Anglo Saxon but they’re also airbrushed."The often-toxic media industry is not only dangerous for consumers but also for the people who work in them.Journalist Shelly Horton says, "I was out on the red carpet, at all of the movie premieres, interviewing stars, all that stuff when one day my boss pulled me aside and said, “Shelly, we've decided that you're probably more valuable to us behind the scenes." When she asked why, the answer was, “You’re too fat for TV."Fashion reporter Melissa Hoyer takes us to place where the media and fashion collide, often with devastating consequences. Butterfly's Communications Manager Alex Cowen talks about her work to educate journalists and advertising creatives to help them understand how a narrow view of beauty can cause real harm. And Elizabeth Paton, Project Lead of the Mindframe National Guidelines, talks about how these were developed for safe and accurate media portrayal and reporting of mental ill-health, including for eating disorders.To find our guests, here are the best places to start:Mia Freedman - Instagram @miafreedmanShelly Horton - https://shellshockedmedia.comMelissa Hoyer - https://melissahoyer.com/Alex Cowen - Butterfly Foundation WebsiteElizabeth Paton - Mindframe website
The content we consume online can have been found time and time again to be a huge driver of body image issues. According to extensive research young people are particularly at risk. Social media, in particular, is packed with unrealistic images and ideals. These platforms can be an incubator for mental illness - including eating disorders. This has been a growing problem for years and it's why the Australian Government created the Office of the eSafety Commissioner. It's effectively the country's online watchdog.Cara Webber is the senior education officer at the eSafety commission. She spends a lot of her time speaking to young people and their parents about how to have safe and positive experiences online. She is particularly interested in encouraging people to become positive influencers and take a leadership role in shaping happily and healthy digital cultures.In this episode of Let’s Talk In Depth, Cara takes host Sam Ikin through some of the measures the commission is taking to make sure kids are not developing negative body image or disordered eating patterns as a result of their social media experience.
Negative body image can impact almost every aspect of your life, especially your sex life. And while fulfilling intimate relationships is a key component of general wellbeing, the shame hammered into us by societal messages about what bodies should look like is too often carried into the bedroom. It can seriously mess with our sexual experience.“Self-judgement and self-criticism make us feel low, and when we're feeling low, we don’t feel particularly sexy,” says sex and relationships therapist, Adriene Cobcroft.Sex educator and broadcaster Nat Tencic agrees. “You’re literally naked,” she says. “If you aren't comfortable in your skin, you're not going to be able to be in the moment and you're not going to be able to experience pleasure.”The good news is there are ways to improve our body image and by doing so enhance our sexual enjoyment. When Nik Mitchell learned to embrace his vulnerability and be more body kind, he opened himself up to a fulfilling sexual relationship. Bella Davis learned how to get out of her head and into her body, fully allowing herself to enjoy the moment. Dating app Bumble’s Lucille McCart’s insists that authenticity is key. "I guarantee you," she says, "No matter what type of body you have, there is someone out there that will find you completely beautiful, but we don't hear that enough."For help or support with negative body image go to butterfly.org.au or call the Butterfly Helpline on 1800 33 4673 or 1800 ED HOPE.To find out more about our guests in this episode:Bella Davis is on Instagram @isabelladavis6For Nat Tencic, start with her website https://nattencic.com/Addy Cobcroft also has a website https://www.adrienecobcroft.com/You can follow Lucille McCart on Instagram @lucillemccartNik Navy is also active on Instagram @nik.navy
Fat phobia is the fear and dislike of fat or larger bodies. It’s irrational, unjust, and often expressed in damaging ways. In fact, weight stigma is associated with several negative outcomes for people in larger bodies, including decreased opportunity in employment, income, education, housing, and medical care. The mental health impacts are also well documented: increased stress, anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem – all of which are also risk factors for eating disorders. In our new episode we unpack fat phobia, hear firsthand from award-winning writers Megan and Karyn, and the wildly popular “Bodzilla”, April, about how they have experienced it. We also hear from Dr. Xochitl dela Piedad Garcia of ACU about what the research has to say about weight discrimination, and from Georgie, an ally, about how she is addressing thin privilege to support a much-needed change in perspective.
Social media influencer Katie Parrott uses her online presence to normalise our view of larger bodies and to talk about fatphobia, mental health, public health, food, fashion, and anything else that comes to mind. Katie spent some time with our host, Sam Ikin, talking about her journey to body acceptance. It wasn’t always easy for Katie to shrug off the societal pressure to subscribe to the thin ideal, or to get where she is now: a joyful and powerful equal opportunity advocate for people of all shapes and sizes.For help with body image issues or eating disorders call the Butterfly helpline on 1800 ED HOPE that's 1800 33 4673 or go to https://butterfly.org.au/ for online support and resources.Follow Katie Parrott on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/katie_parrottOr check out her website https://katieparrott.wordpress.com/about/
Jack Symonds never considered himself to be much of a swimmer. In fact, before deciding to swim the English Channel to raise funds for Butterfly, it was probably twelve years since he swam a single lap in a pool.Jack is the sibling of a beloved sister who battled an eating disorder for close to ten years. “They say that people don’t get eating disorders, but families do”, he says. “And in my experience, that was certainly true.” With this background, Jack was compelled to do something significant to support people with eating disorders, “Because every time someone receives proper care their life could be saved.” Jack’s swim also benefitted Black Dog Institute, an organisation that helped him when he was dealing with his own mental health issues.What’s amazing is that he started out with a modest goal to raise $10,000 but instead raised more than $275,000. Listen to him talk to Sam about why he did it, what it was like, and what he learned from this epic and life-changing experience.
About a million Australians are going into this holiday season - which is often defined by feasting - struggling with an eating disorder. Many of those will be hiding in plain sight.They’ll be struggling but the people around them won’t have any idea because they don’t fit the stereotype. They don’t look the way people with eating disorders are supposed to look. It’s why experts say there are a significant number of people who are not being diagnosed. They may be unsure about what's going on, or they don't feel like they can ask for help because their experience feels so unusual.In this episode, we hear from AJ who developed an eating disorder at the age of 11. Being an indigenous male, he didn’t think that he could possibly have an eating disorder. “I had heard of eating disorders,” he tells us. “I thought they only happened to pretty young girls who did ballet.” As a result, he went undiagnosed and untreated for years until a thoughtful teacher intervened.June is in her 70s and has also struggled with stigma. Her ED wasn’t diagnosed she was well into her 30s, despite being there since she was 11. “The stereotype that you have to be thin to have an eating disorder is so false,” she says. “People can look very (I hate to use the word) normal, and still have an eating disorder.” She says the stigma she faced as a young woman was awful but things are improving.Social media influencer, Katie, suffered from anorexia when she was a student, but being a person in a larger body, nobody questioned her unhealthy behaviours. “I’ve talked to people about having an eating disorder and people assume it was binge eating disorder and I’m like ‘no, I was fully starving myself’.” She says she didn’t think she had an ED either. “If you wrote down the things I was doing without knowing what I look like, anybody would say that was an eating disorder.Researcher and author of Butterfly’s Community Insights Report, Claire Lister, says the data shows people who suffer from eating disorders are just as likely to hold unhelpful beliefs about them. Michelle Blanchard from the National Mental Health Commission says people are beginning to understand the complexity of eating disorders but the myths and stereotypes are still a barrier for many who live with them. The question is how do we help them come out?
Dr Scott Griffiths is one of Australia’s top researchers in body image and eating disorders and a National Health and Medical Research Council Fellow at the University of Melbourne. He’s currently involved in an ongoing study into the male experience of eating disorders.In this In Depth episode, he challenges the myth that men are not impacted by either body image issues or eating disorders. While people usually think that only young, privileged, white women experience eating disorders, the truth is that 30% identify as male. Dr Griffiths thinks this percentage may be much higher because men are reluctant to speak up or seek help. Still, there are intense social pressures on men to look a certain way, and this puts them at risk.“If we assume that the eating disorders we see and know about are all that are out there, then men are a minority of diagnoses”, he says. “But it wouldn’t surprise me if there are many more men affected. We just don't see them because we don’t know how to find them.”Find out how Dr Griffiths managed to reach men for his research work, and what Butterfly is also doing to provide education, information, and much-needed support.Find out more about Dr Scott Griffiths.To find more resources for men check out Butterfly's males, eating disorders and body image page or RESET, a conversation about boys' body image.
We know that treating an eating disorder can be complicated. But when you’re managing an eating disorder along with a co-occurring medical condition, that can add extra complexity.It’s quite common for eating disorders to co-exist with other health issues but it's often unclear whether eating behaviours are to appropriately mitigate symptoms or are a disordered response to distress. In this episode, we talk to guests living with coexisting conditions. Host Sam Ikin also talks to experts who help their clients to manage both.Psychologist Dr Angelique Ralph says it’s sometimes difficult to know if you adjusted the way you eat to treat a chronic health issue or if it is an eating disorder. “Is the health condition impacting the eating disorder, the eating disorder impacting the health condition, or are they both reinforcing each other?”For Lizzie, the eating disorder came first but she was managing it until she was diagnosed with coeliac disease. “My eating disorder flared. And I realised I was using my diagnosis as a reason not to eat.”Sienna has had a long history of diabetes coupled with an eating disorder to create a condition called diabulimia. “If you don't take your insulin, your body eats itself,” she says. “It attacks all of your organs. It eats your fat first, then everything that you put into your body is pretty much burned up.”Dietitian Shannon McDonough works primarily with people diagnosed with diabetes. "Around 35% of those living with diabetes also experience disordered eating or are actually living with an eating disorder." she says, "It's quite staggering really."Ange lives with endometriosis and has also experienced an eating disorder. “There was a mix of me self-medicating when I wasn't seeing a professional, and professionals actually giving me these diets,” she says. “I became addicted to this cycle of restriction.”As we listen to each guest’s perspective, we also find out what model of treatment can help.
Psychiatrist Richard Newton is an adjunct professor at Monash University, the clinical director of a large mental health service (that also serves as a teaching hospital), and serves on the boards of Butterfly and Wandi Nerida, Butterfly’s residential treatment centre on the Sunshine Coast.In this episode, he talks with Sam Ikin about how mental health conditions, including eating disorders, often co-occur. “One of the challenges of treating someone with an eating disorder is identifying the co-morbid mental health issues that we need to treat too.”The problem is, when eating disorders are present, it can be challenging to figure out what else is at play. This is because some mental health issues are effectively mitigated or reduced by the eating disorder.The good news is that a new understanding of mental health about eating disorders is helping to improve diagnosis and care.
We live in a world where we’re constantly marketed cheap, addictive “food” with very little nutritional value, and we’ve all heard about the public health impacts of that.It’s a situation that’s led to a growing distrust of the food system and increased fear of food. It’s little wonder there’s rapidly growing interest in “healthy eating”, and it’s why the diet industry has begun to systematically rebrand itself to be more about health and “wellness”. But the industry is still fundamentally a weight loss industry, with a clear focus on restricting food intake.In this episode, we ask the question, “what is healthy eating”? Dietitian Elizabeth Stathakis says a healthy diet is diverse and depends on your budget, your geography, your cultural preferences, and your medical history. There’s not one healthy diet that fits for us all.Psychologist Janet Lowndes warns that when we classify foods as good or bad and get into restriction, that restriction can gain momentum. There is a real risk of developing an eating disorder.We also talk to three people who have a lived experience of how their healthy eating did indeed develop into an eating disorder. Now that they’re in recovery, they describe how their idea of healthy eating has evolved to be much healthier for both their bodies and minds.
Social media is a huge driver of body image issues and young people are particularly at risk. Packed with unrealistic images and ideals, social platforms can be an incubator for mental illness – including eating disorders. But the problem is worse than most people think according to Swinburne University researcher in applied social technology Dr Suku Sukunesan.Dr Sukunesan's research has been making waves in the Australian media lately as more people begin to pay attention to his disturbing findings of the destructive impact social media can have. He told host Sam Ikin that young people vulnerable to eating disorders were particularly at risk on social platforms where a dark, hidden network operates right beneath our noses.For some helpful tips on how to help young people use social media safely, Butterfly has a helpful guide for parents Parents https://butterfly.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Instagram-Parents-Guide.pdfOr the Body Kind Families media resilience fact sheet - https://butterfly.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/BK_Families_Resilience-to-Media-Tips_FINAL.pdf
With so many developmental and even physical changes happening in their lives, teenagers are particularly vulnerable to body image issues. Spurred on by social media, they’re constantly comparing themselves to others.Having a positive body image can help teens to develop self-esteem, self-confidence, and to develop socially. It can lead to better mental and physical health later in life.The problem is research shows that, consistently, body image is one of teens’ top three concerns. Also, the number of adolescents reporting body dissatisfaction is increasing, exposing more and more youngsters to long term effects.Dr Justin Coulson, one of Australia’s top parenting experts says a healthy body image starts at home. “The last thing we should be doing is shaming bodies,” he says. “When a child feels disconnected, shamed and unworthy, they're less likely to take the input of their parents.”Clinical Psychologist Dr Louise Adams agrees: “Body image is about much more than our bodies,” she says, “It’s actually how we feel about ourselves, based on our physical appearance, and how our physical appearance has been treated in the world.”In this episode, we look at how the home environment can have a significant influence on a teen’s body image. For example, positive role-modelling and demonstrated kindness toward our bodies and others’ can act as a protective factor to other influences our teens can’t control.We also hear from Jem and their dad, Richard, and Ashlee and her mom, Christine – Jem and Ashlee have both battled debilitating body image issues, but their families have learned to review body image in ways that are helping to see them through.To find out more about Justin Coulson’s work go to https://www.justincoulson.com/To hear more from Louise Adams go to https://untrapped.com.au/And for more on Butterfly’s Body Kind Families program, visit www.butterfly.org.au/bodykindfamilies
Mental health was one of the major underlying issues laid bare at the Tokyo Paralympics. While we all heard about high profile athletes and their struggles from a distance, Australian Swimmer Jessica Smith has lived through it. As a kid living with a disability, Jessica wanted to win gold for her country since she realised she could beat all the able-bodied swimmers at her school. It became more than a dream. Swimming was her life's work and her identity. In 2004 Jessica's went to the Athens Games as a favourite, only to have her Olympic Dreams shattered when her health, both mental and physical, failed her. She was suffering from anxiety, depression and a severe eating disorder that was affecting her physical health and her performance in the pool. Eventually, she realised that she couldn't control these co-occurring disorders and continue in her high-performance sporting career. She had to choose between her health and Olympic glory.Jessica opens up about her struggles in this episode of Butterfly's Let's Talk In-Depth with host Sam Ikin.
It can take a lot of courage for someone living with an eating disorder to admit they need help. But all too often those who struggle are held back by a complex health system, a shortage of trained clinicians, GPs who don’t pick up on the warning signs, and the high cost of treatment. That’s over and above the ever-present myths that surround eating disorders.Imogen tells us how she couldn't find the right specialists through the public health system until she became medically unstable enough to be hospitalised. Alex describes how his daughter's recovery and access to support was impacted by lockdowns in both Melbourne and Sydney. And Jeanette shares her story of dealing with medical professionals who had little experience with eating disorders. She had to travel hundreds of kilometres to get appropriate care.Dr Kim Hurst, President of the Australia and New Zealand Academy for Eating Disorders (ANZAED) confirms that the system has been difficult for people with lived experience, mostly because of the shortage of trained clinicians. Dr. Gemma Sharp, the creator of Butterfly’s chatbot KIT, agrees. She advocates that all health professionals should receive at least basic training about eating disorders, regardless of what profession they’re in.The good news is that Kim and Gemma are amongst many dedicated people who are developing programs to address the situation. In this podcast, you’ll hear about some of these, along with all our guests’ thoughts about how, in the interim, we can deal with the difficulty of accessing care.
Nobody has had a more profound impact on the treatment of eating disorders than Carolyn Costin. We are excited to have her as the first guest for our Let’s Talk in Depth show, which will run mid-monthly to complement Butterfly: Let’s Talk.After recovering from Anorexia Nervosa in her early 20’s, Carolyn found her calling in helping others to recover. Her unique philosophy was so successful that she took it to the public through a series of books and public events and eventually opened the world’s first licensed, residential eating disorder facility in California, Monte Nido.Carolyn has also played a pivotal role in the creation of Australia’s first fully residential eating disorder recovery facility, Wandi Nerida on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.In this candid discussion, Carolyn opens up about her intuitive ability to diagnose and treat her own eating disorder and how that led to a decades-long career helping others to find recovery.To find out more about Carolyn Costin https://www.carolyn-costin.com/aboutFor more information about Wandi Nerida https://butterfly.org.au/wandi-nerida/
Eating disorders almost always occur with other mental health issues. In fact, research tells us that 97 per cent of the time there are co-occurring mental health conditions. It’s always a complex situation and there are different causes for different people. In many cases, it’s difficult to tell which disorder came first.“It's very, very unusual in my experience for people with an eating disorder to only have an eating disorder,” says Monash University Adjunct Professor Richard Newton. “By and large, co-occurring mental health issues is the rule.”While it’s difficult to say what caused the issues to co-occur, by understanding which conditions are present and possibly interacting, clinicians are able to help the people experiencing them find a path to recovery.Emily Unity, from Perth WA, says she was unaware of her eating disorder. “I honestly find it quite surprising to hear from a lot of people that they don't have comorbidities. I think it's more so that we're not really aware of it, or we don't have the language to talk about it. And I feel lucky enough that I do now.”For Tim, a social worker from Newcastle NSW, it was clear that his OCD came first. He says it wasn’t until he was 21 that he developed body image issues which were amplified by his OCD. “I guess my OCD took on that as being scared of becoming overweight so I engaged in behaviours, and became obsessed with how I look.”Korey says her eating disorder developed as a result of extreme anxiety. “I sort of developed these coping mechanisms of controlling what I ate as a means of dealing with the amount of anxiety and anxious thoughts and energy I held on to. So I sort of channelled that into the food I ate, and sort of controlling what I ate, how much I ate.”While there are many possible mental health issues that co-occur with eating disorders Leading Mental Health researcher Professor Phillipa Hay says there are a few that co-occur more frequently “The most common are indeed anxiety disorder, social anxiety in particular, and mood disorders and depression. But everybody brings a unique experience to their eating disorder,” she says. “They are all individuals in their own capacity, and they have their own stories, their own narratives to tell. And we know that there are many common factors in those stories.”
In this episode, we’re throwing the podcast open to you. Every month audience members ask us to answer questions about body image and eating disorders. Many of the questions are too important not to answer. We have rounded up a team of specialists with decades of clinical experience along with some people with lived experience to help us unravel some really deep and tricky issues.Drawing on the clinical knowledge of Anila Azhar, Archana Waller and Chris XXX as well as the lived experience of Dominik and Lauren we dive in deep on topics from how to approach someone you think has a problem to the genetics affecting eating disorders. There's something in this episode for everyone.
So many kids want to follow in their parent's footsteps but how do we help them avoid body dissatisfaction and eating disorders, especially if they have a lived experience themselves. Kids are great imitators and parents, teachers and other adult role models have a huge role to play in helping them accept the bodies they are in. In this episode, we're investigating how we can change the picture with kids.Body dissatisfaction is one of the highest risk factors for eating disorders and studies tell us that if you struggle with body image as a kid or as a teenager, you're far more likely to carry those feelings with you into adulthood. The troubling news for those of us who are parents is that more and more young kids are telling us that they're dissatisfied with their bodies.Psychologist and eating disorder prevention specialist Danni Rowlands tells host Sam Ikin “appearance and image are still such important things in our society and that's that's not helping people to feel comfortable or happy in their bodies.”IT professional Kelly Griffin struggled with body image issues and eating disorders for decades. “Unfortunately, [my eldest daughter] had to see your dad go through [an eating disorder]. No child should ever go through this but, even more, no child should ever see their parent go through it.” Kelly takes us through how he is helping his kids build resilience to the issues he fell prey to.Nuibeny Naam isn’t a parent but plays a large part in bringing up her sisters’ children. She says she suffered from body dissatisfaction because her body ‘wasn’t what you would call Australian”. She came to Australia when she was nine years old and suffered from eating disorders and body dissatisfaction for decades. She says she’s trying to help her nieces accept their differences and love the bodies they have.Anne Smith, lived with an eating disorder from the age of 15 until she was 30. But it wasn’t until she became pregnant that she started to make up her mind to find recovery and set a strong example for her kids. “It took growing another life for me to realise how important mine was,” she said.As a parent who's been affected by an eating disorder, it's one thing to say that we don't want our kids to follow in those footsteps, but actually protecting them from it is a whole other story.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experience body dissatisfaction and eating disorders as much as the general population. But there are risk factors that are unique to this community, along with some unique pathways to wellness and recovery.Garra Mundine, a proud Waridjuri, Kamilaroi, Bundjulung and Yuin woman experienced body dissatisfaction and an eating disorder after moving from Country to Sydney. Today, she uses traditional art practices to resist Western ideals of beauty and to express her unique style.Felicia Foxx is a proud Kamilaroi and Dhunghutti sister-girl who is also a well-known drag performer. For years she struggled with her family’s expectations of what a masculine body type should be—until she realised her slim body was just like her ancestors’.AJ William-Tchen was bullied as a teenager and says this contributed to his eating disorder which, because he is male, went undiagnosed for years. Today AJ works as a cultural mentor and mental health first aid instructor, helping Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander kids to embrace their culture for mental good health.Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers, Liz Dale and Jed Fraser, explain why culture can be key to wellness in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Let’s yarn!
High-performance athletes are Australia's version of Royalty. They do superhuman things and adoring fans hail them as heroes, but off the field, they are human beings. And like all human beings, they are susceptible to eating disorders and body image issues. In fact, many athletes are at much higher risk of disordered eating and eating disorders due to the intense pressures and cultural expectations placed on them.The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) and the National Eating Disorder Collaboration (NEDC) have teamed up to come up with a set of guidelines to help sports teams, clubs and organisations identify warning signs and prevent athletes from developing eating disorders.In 2004, Australian Swimmer Jessica Smith hit her lowest point. She was living out her dream to compete for her country in the Paralympics in Athens but her eating disorder was holding her back. She was expected to make a podium finish but she didn't even qualify for the final.National basketball star Maddie Garrick's eating disorder took hold while she was a teenager but her experience was different from Jessica's. At the AIS she found the support and positive culture that she needed to thrive as an athlete and to find lasting recovery from her ED.In this episode, we also hear from the AIS lead nutritionist, Nikki Jeacocke and prominent sports nutritionist Fiona Sutherland about how a new set of guidelines for sporting organisations is helping create a safe culture for high performing athletes.
We can’t escape the diet culture that surrounds us almost everywhere we go. Every year people start a diet as a new year’s resolution. We also know that the majority of those have been abandoned by February. It leaves those who have dropped the restrictive program feeling like they’ve failed and possibly worse about themselves than before they started. This is because the messaging around health and weight is focussed on thin, muscular bodies that might be unrealistic for a lot of us.The dieting industry doesn’t allow for diversity in body size. It tells us that higher body weight is a problem that needs to be fixed through restrictive dieting and exercise regimes. This is the message we’ve been told for decades. But the facts tell us it’s not working. If it worked, wouldn't there be a massive reduction in obesity rates? Restrictive dieting can also be a trigger for eating disorders.Experts are now telling us that restrictive diets almost always result in overall weight gain in the long term. In this episode, we hear from leading dietitians and individuals with lived experience who are focusing on health rather than weight to help people with body image issues and eating disorders find long-term recovery.To find out more about our guests:Fiona Willer - https://www.healthnotdiets.com/Shane Jeffrey - https://www.riveroakhealth.com.au/Patrick Boyle - https://www.patrickboyle.com.au/Kate Reid - https://www.lunecroissanterie.com/contactShreen El Masry - https://beyoubefree.com.au/
Carolyn Costin swears full and complete recovery from eating disorders is possible. For more than 40 years, she has been changing lives through her revolutionary model of care. It was the basis for her Monte Nido residential treatment centres which have helped thousands recover. This model of care is also the basis for Australia's first residential recovery centre on Queensland's Sunshine Coast, Wandi Nerida. The name, gifted by the land's traditional owners, means "gather together and blossom". It's a place for people to create new beginnings.In this Episode, Carolyn tells host Sam Ikin how she developed her model of care at a time when eating disorders were badly misunderstood. As her treatment plan developed, she began to see the huge numbers of people who needed it. "Six books later, running several hospital programs, and opening the first residential treatment centre in the United States, I've been doing a lot in the eating disorder field," she said.Now Australians suffering from eating disorders can access treatment based on Carolyn's model of care through Butterfly's Wandi Nerida. Siena Armati, who travelled all the way to the US to go to Monte Nido after going in and out of Australia's hospital system for years, and is now in full recovery, says Wandi Nerida is long overdue. "It's very beneficial. It's pretty sad that there were a lot of people who weren't able to go to places like Monte Nido."To find out more about Wandi Nerida go to wandinerida.org.au.Over a million Australians are currently experiencing an eating disorder, and less than a quarter are getting treatment or support. And it’s becoming increasingly clear that eating disorders are often under-diagnosed. Everyone who experiences an eating disorder has a unique story to tell.The Butterfly podcast is produced, hosted and edited by journalist Sam Ikin, who has lived experience of binge eating disorder, in partnership with Butterfly.To find out more about eating disorders, visit the Butterfly Foundation website www.butterfly.org.au.
It’s a time that many people look forward to. Meeting family and old friends for the first time since last year and coming together to celebrate over food and drink. But for people living with eating disorders, it can be a minefield that sparks anxiety whenever we think about it.A recent study found almost half of the general population “dreads the festive season”. The Butterfly Helpline always reports a spike in calls from people looking for support through the festive season and this year, with numbers already especially high due to COVID-19 lockdowns, they are expecting even higher volumes of contacts.In this episode of Butterfly: Let’s Talk, host Sam Ikin finds how people in recovery prepare and deal with all the triggers of the season. Nicki Wilson from F.E.A.S.T says preparation is essential, not just for the sufferer, but for family and friends who want to make sure everyone has a good time. Butterfly’s Manager of Treatment and Support, Michelle Sperling, has some practical tips that everyone can follow.We also hear from three brave people in recovery who share their experiences from when they were struggling and how they cope with the increased stress and triggers that come with the holiday season.Over a million Australians are currently experiencing an eating disorder, and less than a quarter are getting treatment or support. And it’s becoming increasingly clear that eating disorders are often under-diagnosed. Everyone who experiences an eating disorder has a unique story to tell.The Butterfly podcast is produced, hosted and edited by journalist Sam Ikin, who has lived experience of binge eating disorder, in partnership with Butterfly.To find out more about eating disorders, visit the Butterfly Foundation website www.butterfly.org.au.
Even though we don't fully understand all the causes of eating disorders just yet we do know that recovery is possible. From a biological point of view, certain genes which affect food intake, appetite, metabolism, mood, and reward pleasure responses could play a part. We also know that certain personality traits could make people more vulnerable. Things like perfectionism, neuroticism, and low self esteem. So short of genetic engineering or a personality transplant, do we really have any chance of recovery?The good news is that there are many factors we can control and they can make all the difference.In this episode Sam Ikin talks to people who have been there and recovered to find out what works for them.Mia Findlay, for example, found recovery from her eating disorder after seven long and painful years. Now she works to help others get there as a recovery coach.Rupert suffered as a teenager and into early adulthood but is now proud to say he has recovered. It was a long and rocky road and he encourages anyone who is walking the same path to look at little setbacks part of the process.Astrid Welling suffered for almost 30 years before she even realised that recovery was possible for her.Over a million Australians are currently experiencing an eating disorder, and less than a quarter are getting treatment or support. And it’s becoming increasingly clear that eating disorders are often under diagnosed. Everyone who experiences an eating disorder has a unique story to tell.The Butterfly podcast is produced, hosted and edited by journalist Sam Ikin, who has lived experience of binge eating disorder, in partnership with Butterfly.To find out more about eating disorders, visit the Butterfly Foundation website www.butterfly.org.au.
What do you think of when you hear the words “eating disorder''? The chances are, eating disorders are not what you think. If you’ve experienced one yourself or know someone who has you’re off to a good start. Eating disorders are an extremely broad and diverse category of mental illness and most people are not aware of how prevalent they are.This episode is being released for Mental Health Month 2020 and with eating disorders being the complex mental health issues that they are, we're going to go back to the basics. Even if you’ve experienced an ED or you know someone who has, you’re probably not aware of how wildly varied they can be.Over a million Australians are currently experiencing an eating disorder, and less than a quarter are getting treatment or support. And it’s becoming increasingly clear that eating disorders are often under-diagnosed. Everyone who experiences an eating disorder has a unique story to tell.The Butterfly podcast is produced, hosted and edited by journalist Sam Ikin, who has lived experience of binge eating disorder, in partnership with Butterfly.To find out more about eating disorders, visit the Butterfly Foundation website www.butterfly.org.au.
Social media is a huge driver of body image issues and young people are particularly at risk. Packed with unrealistic images and ideals, social platforms can be an incubator for mental illness - including eating disorders.In this episode, we hear from young Instagram creator Jenna Abbasi who explains how social media affected her eating disorder. We also talk to Zak, a year ten student, about how he manages his social media experience to stay body positive. And we hear expert advice from Danni Rowlands, Butterfly’s National Manager of Prevention Services, Suku Sukunesan, an expert researcher in Applied Social Technology at Swinburne University, and Cara Webber from the eSafety Commission.Content warning: This podcast talks about eating disorders.
Katie is in recovery from an eating disorder, and says her struggles with body image and disordered eating were triggered in high school, when she began to feel on “on the outer” from her straight peers.One million people in Australia will struggle with an eating disorder during their lifetime, and a significant number belong to the LGBTIQA+ community. Yet only 25% of those living with an eating disorder will ever seek help because they don’t fit the stereotype.Kai, who identifies as trans, developed an eating disorder that suppressed his puberty, because he thought only women got eating disorders. Mitch came out as gay in the middle of a relapse of anorexia, but was told that his identity was just a symptom of his being unwell.The history of discrimination against LGBTIQA+ people, along with not enough trained professionals to serve this community, is why many do not get the treatment they need. The good news is there are people working to change that. In this month’s Butterfly: Let’s Talk podcast, we talk to Katie, Mitch and Kai about their recovery, and to Dr. Scott Griffiths and Tarn Lee - two insightful professionals who work in the space. Let’s talk.The Butterfly National Helpline is free and confidential, and we encourage anyone who thinks they may need help with their body image or eating—or just want to find out more—to call 1800 ED HOPE (1800 33 4673) or visit butterfly.org.au.
Men, we need to talk. The stereotypical eating disorder sufferer is a young, wealthy, white woman, but there’s a lot of evidence telling us that the stereotype is inaccurate.Based on current numbers, one in three people living with an eating disorder are men, and there are a lot of men suffering in silence. In this episode of the Butterfly podcast: Let’s Talk, one of the country’s top eating disorder researchers, Dr Scott Griffiths from the University of Melbourne, says there could be a significant number of dudes with eating disorders we don’t know about.“Men are really reluctant to go and see a doctor in the first place,” he tells us.That rings true for the three men we profile in Episode Two of Butterfly: Let’s Talk, including Carlton and Melbourne Football star Brock McLean.The truth is, anyone, from primary school kids to middle-aged men—including sports stars like McLean—can get an eating disorder. This mental illness doesn’t discriminate.“I grew up in a very old school family,” he tells us. “No complaining, no wingeing. If anything went wrong you just had to suck it up and get on with it.” Experts say that traditional ideas around masculinity discourage men to seek help when they know they have a problem.The Butterfly National Helpline is free and confidential and we encourage anyone who thinks they may need help with their body image or eating—or just want to find out more—to call 1800 ED HOPE (1800 33 4673) or visit butterfly.org.au.
There is a critical shortage of adequate support for people affected by eating disorders who live in regional and remote areas. We can all relate to feelings of frustration and distress after months of living in isolation during the COVID-19 event. But for people who live in remote and regional areas, the experience of isolation from desperately needed services and treatment will continue long after the pandemic has passed.In this episode, we talk to three people who all have very different lived experiences but who have all experienced the tyranny of distance. Butterfly CEO Kevin Barrow joins the show to give his insights into why someone's postcode can make such a massive difference to their chances of recovery and what Butterfly is doing to bridge the gap.
Over 1 million Australians are living with an eating disorder, but less than a quarter of those receive treatment or support. This show connects you with experts, people with a lived experience and their families and carers. Whether you're affected personally, you're caring for a friend or family member, or if you want to find out more, the Butterfly Podcast is the best place to start.