Butterfly: Let's Talk

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 disorde...

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 c...

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 wi...

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 Co...

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 expectatio...

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 a...

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, W...

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 r...

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 se...

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...

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...

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...

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 diso...

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 aft...

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. See omnystu...