Eating Disorders

Eating disorders are serious, complex and potentially life-threatening illnesses that impact the brain and body. People with eating disorders have difficult thoughts and feelings towards their body, food and/or eating. These thoughts and feelings may make them act in ways that can be unsafe. Eating disorders affect a person’s life and can have serious consequences.

Eating disorders do not discriminate and can occur in people of any age, weight, size, shape, gender identity, sexuality, cultural background or socioeconomic group.

Do I have an eating disorder?

  • If you think you have an eating disorder, we encourage you to contact the Butterfly Foundation National helpline. Their counsellors offer free and confidential support over the phone, via email, and by online chat.

  • If you are a parent or carer of a young person, we encourage you to access the information checklist on the Feed Your Instinct website. This will help you prepare for next steps, including talking with your GP.

  • If the person you are concerned about is over the age of 18, you might encourage them to check out Reach Out and Recover information and pathways to access support.

Warning signs

You can spot eating disorders by looking for changes in how someone acts, feels, or changes to their physical health. People with these disorders may show many signs, or just one. Sometimes, they show no clear signs or might try hard to hide what is happening. For some people, they may not think what they are doing is a problem. This can make it hard for others to see the signs. But, if you're worried, it's important to act, even if you're only a little worried.

Here are some common signs of eating disorders:

Physical warning signs

  • Sudden weight loss or gain, frequent weight changes, persistent low weight

  • Inability to maintain normal body weight for age and height, failure to grow as expected

  • Loss or disturbance of menstruation

  • Fainting or dizziness

  • Sensitivity to the cold

  • Bloating, constipation, or the development of food intolerances

  • Fatigue or lethargy

  • Fine hair appearing on face and body

  • Loss or thinning of hair

  • Signs of vomiting such as swollen cheeks or jawline, calluses on knuckles or damaged teeth

  • Stress fractures, bone pain, muscle cramps

  • Compromised immune system (e.g., getting sick more often)

  • Sleep disturbances 

Behavioural warning signs

  • Repetitive dieting behaviour such as counting calories, skipping meals, fasting or avoidance of certain foods or food groups

  • Frequent trips to the bathroom during or shortly after meals

  • Patterns or obsessive rituals around food, food preparation and eating that not related to other experiences, such as neurodivergence

  • Change in food preferences

  • Avoidance of, or change in behaviour in social situations involving food

  • Social withdrawal or isolation from friends and family

  • Secretive behaviour around eating

  • Patterns or obsessive behaviours relating to body shape and weight (e.g. frequent self-checking)

  • Compulsive or excessive exercising

  • Substance misuse

  • Continual denial of hunger

  • Drinking too much or too little

  • Change in clothing such as wearing baggy clothes or more layers than appropriate for the weather

  • Evidence of vomiting or misuse of laxatives, appetite suppressants, enemas and/or diuretics

Psychological warning signs

  • Preoccupation with eating, food, body shape or weight

  • Intense fear of gaining weight

  • Intense drive for muscularity

  • Preoccupation with food or activities relating to food

  • Heightened anxiety or irritability around mealtimes

  • Heightened sensitivity to comments or criticism (real or perceived) about body shape or weight, eating or exercise habits

  • Low self-esteem and feelings of shame, self-loathing or guilt

  • Body dissatisfaction or negative body image

  • Difficulty concentrating

  • Obsession with food and need for control

  • ‘Black and white’ thinking - rigid thoughts about food being ‘good’ or ‘bad

  • Depression, anxiety, self-harm or suicidality

It is never advised to ‘watch and wait’. If you or someone you know may be experiencing an eating disorder, accessing support and treatment is important. Early intervention is key to improved health and quality of life outcomes. A GP is a good first contact to seek support and access eating disorder treatment.

Talking to someone

Talking to someone about your eating disorder can be a daunting first step, but reaching out for help and support is a crucial step in moving towards recovery. You might initially talk to a trusted friend or family member or a health professional. Whoever you choose to tell, it is important to choose someone who can support you through the next steps of engaging with formal supports.

Screening & Assessment

When you speak to a health professional (such as your GP), they will take you through screening and assessment to get more information about what you are experiencing. This will involve answering some questions, some of which may feel difficult to answer, getting medical tests such as blood tests and physical measurements such as weight and height. Getting weighed can be a difficult experience, so remember that you are allowed to say no to being weighed. It can be helpful to spend time talking through the challenges with your health practitioner and get an understanding of why they want to weigh you and what they do with the information.  

Here are some examples of screening questions you may get asked:

  1. Are you satisfied with your eating patterns?

  2. Do you ever eat in secret?

  3. Does your weight affect the way you feel about yourself?

  4. Have any members of your family suffered with an eating disorder?

  5. Do you currently suffer with, or have you ever suffered in the past, with an eating disorder?

Depending on how you answer these questions, your doctor may want you to complete an Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q). You can even complete the EDE-Q before your appointment and take the completed form into your appointment. This can be a helpful way to start the conversation with your health provider, if you are anxious about talking to them. 

Diagnosis

If you see a doctor or a psychologist, these professionals can diagnose an ED. Other professionals can't, but they may still be able to help you in these ways. If you do receive a diagnosis, these links provide more information.

Further information on each eating disorder diagnosis:

Medicare

People with an eating disorder can access support under Medicare. GPs can complete a plan and refer you to a mental health professional and, when needed, a dietitian. A medical and a mental health professional working together constitute is important for community eating disorder treatment.

How do I access this type of support?

  1. Make a long appointment to see your GP

  2. Complete an Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire – This can be done with the GP, or you can do it before your appointment and take it in with you

  3. Your GP will decide which type of plan you are eligible for

  4. Your GP will work with you to develop the plan and refer you to a mental health professional and a dietitian if needed

  5. Send a copy of your care plan and your referral to the health professional on the referral and call them to schedule an appointment

Eating Disorders Plan (EDP)

Patients eligible for the EDP will be able to access comprehensive treatment and management services for a 12-month period, including:

  • up to 40 eating disorder psychological treatment (EDPT) services

  • up to 20 dietetic services

  • review and ongoing management services to ensure that the patient accesses the appropriate level of intervention

If you aren’t eligible for an EDP, you will be able to access support under a:

  • Mental Health Care Plan (MHCP) or;

  • Chronic Condition Management Plan (CCMP)

Treatment

Treatment for an eating disorder looks different for everyone. Some people have treatment in their local communities and other people might attend a hospital or clinic. A treatment team should always include amental health professional and a medical practitioner, but you may also see a dietitian or other health and recovery professional. For further information about treatment settings and types click here.

Eating Disorder Credentialed Clinicians

The credentialing system aims to help people experiencing eating disorders to identify and access the right treatment at the right time, increasing the chance of timely intervention and positive treatment outcome.

If you are looking for a Credentialed Eating Disorder Clinician, please see the searchable database.

Family, supporters and community

Families, supporters and community play an important role in the care, support and recovery of people experiencing an eating disorder. This could be a parent, partner, friend, sibling, grandparent, child, grandchild, relative, neighbour, colleague or any other person in your community supporting someone living with an eating disorder.

Family, supporters and community can help in lots of ways:

  • Supporting engagement with treatment: Some people experiencing an eating disorder may find it hard to reach out for help. Support people can help loved one's access help by going with them, advocating for them, helping them make an appointment, or checking in with them about how their appointment went.

  • Supporting use of strategies: Recovery from an eating disorder can be difficult, but having people around that encourage someone to use other coping skills can be helpful. This might include sitting with a loved one at mealtimes, supporting them with their emotions or helping them find strategies that work for them.

  • Supporting recovery: Recovery takes time and families, supporters and community can help their loved one stay connected to what is important to them throughout all stages of recovery.

NEDC have a list of resources for families, supports and community of people with an eating disorder. Click here to access the full list of resources.

Additional support

Peer support

Peer support is a non-clinical support provided by peer support workers to people experiencing an eating disorder or their families and supports. Peer support workers draw on their own lived experience of an eating disorder, or as a carer for someone experiencing eating disorder to provide connection, social, emotional, and practical support in someone’s recovery journey.

Contact the organisations below to find out more about the peer support services and/or support groups that they offer. These may include face to face or online options.

Psychosocial support

A person experiencing an ED may have a range of other support needs beyond treatment and peer support. Services such as housing, food relief, cooking skills classes, employment services and others like this can all play a key part in setting a person up for and helping them maintain recovery and general wellbeing. It's important to consider the whole person and the mix of supports that are right for them.

Resources and information for people with an ED