Initial Response Sessions
(for eating disorders)
Did you know that the eating disorders are home to the single deadliest psychiatric condition under the sun:
Anorexia Nervosa (2, 5, 8-9).
What about the fact that, despite having the highest mortality rate of them all, eating disorders are less funded and researched than every other condition? A recent study looked into how much funding was given to different mental health conditions between 2009 and 2021(6). They found that Anorexia, the most dangerous of them all, was given a grand total of two dollars and five cents per affected person.
What’s that, a Chupachup? Maybe two?
For context, Schizophrenia was given $176.19 per affected person.
It’s no wonder recovery rates sit at less than 50% for Anorexia.
This, among other things, may be why it takes, on average, four years for someone with an eating disorder to go from having their first symptom to finally receiving their first round of treatment. That’s just the average; sometimes it takes over ten years. By the time a person finally does get their foot in the door for eating disorder treatment, they are often extremely unwell, far beyond ‘early intervention’ levels of symptomatology, and the treatment provider they’ve found is ill equipped or unprepared to support them sufficiently (11). Meanwhile, more intensive care settings are running out of beds and turning people away, assuring them that their very real suffering is ‘not bad enough’ to warrant an admission – “come back when you pass out.”
The people who have personally been through this experience have spoken up through the National Strategy public survey and focus groups, where they have called for better, more seamless, and more accessible initial responses to eating disorders, particularly during the early stages of illness (11).
Some of the key highlighted needs were:
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Clearer pathways to care
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Strict assessment tools, diagnostic criteria and processes
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Shorter waitlists for appointments
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Better eating disorders training and awareness among health professionals
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More trust in the healthcare system via more positive experiences
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Better communication among health professionals.
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Better consideration of a person’s experiences and needs (including co-occurring conditions, like Autism and ADHD).
Considering the fact that at least one in twenty adults have an eating disorder in Australia (7, 10), and this is likely a gross underestimation, taking down the existing barriers to timely identification and early intervention is crucial to enhancing positive health and quality of life outcomes (1, 3, 4). So that is exactly what we are doing with our Initial Response Session.
The Initial Response Session:
When you book an initial response session with us, you are:
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Waiting to access treatment for an eating disorder, or
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Not quite ready to engage with eating disorder treatment
When you book an initial response session with us, you receive:
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One 90-minute session with a psychologist
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Immediate assessment and provisional diagnosis
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Immediate guidance, practical solutions and a pathway forward
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Education on harm reduction strategies
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Parent support and/or individual support
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Facilitation of connections to additional services and providers
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The option of ongoing support
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Ambwani, S., Cardi, V., Albano, G., Cao, L., Crosby, R. D., Macdonald, P., et al. (2020). A multicenter audit of outpatient care for adult anorexia nervosa: Symptom trajectory, service use, and evidence in support of “early stage” versus “severe and enduring” classification. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 53(8), 1337–1348. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.2334
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Arcelus, J., Mitchell, A. J., Wales, J., & Nielsen, S. (2011). Mortality rates in patients with anorexia nervosa and other eating disorders: A meta-analysis of 36 studies. Archives of General Psychiatry, 68(7), 724–731. https://doi.org/10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2011.74
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Austin, A., Flynn, M., Richards, K., Hodsoll, J., Duarte, T. A., Robinson, P., et al. (2021). Duration of untreated eating disorder and relationship to outcomes: A systematic review of the literature. European Eating Disorders Review, 29(3), 329–345. https://doi.org/10.1002/erv.2775
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Austin, A., Flynn, M., Shearer, J., Long, M., Allen, K., Mountford, V. A., et al. (2022). The first episode rapid early intervention for eating disorders—Upscaled study: Clinical outcomes. Early Intervention in Psychiatry, 16(1), 97–105. https://doi.org/10.1111/eip.13129
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Birmingham, C. L., Su, J., Hlynsky, J. A., Goldner, E. M., & Gao, M. (2005). The mortality rate from anorexia nervosa. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 38(2), 143–146. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.20106
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Bryant, E., et al. (2023). Mortality and mental health funding—Do the dollars add up? Eating disorder research funding in Australia from 2009 to 2021: A portfolio analysis. The Lancet Regional Health – Western Pacific, 37, 100786. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lanwpc.2023.100786
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Butterfly Foundation. (2012). Paying the price: The economic and social impact of eating disorders in Australia [Internet]. Sydney. Available from https://www2.deloitte.com/au/en/pages/economics/articles/butterfly-report-paying-price-eating-disorders.html
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Chang, C. K., Hayes, R. D., Broadbent, M., Fernandes, A. C., Lee, W., Hotopf, M., et al. (2010). All-cause mortality among people with serious mental illness (SMI), substance use disorders, and depressive disorders in southeast London: A cohort study. BMC Psychiatry, 10, 77. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-244X-10-77
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Fichter, M. M., & Quadflieg, N. (2016). Mortality in eating disorders—Results of a large prospective clinical longitudinal study. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 49(4), 391–401. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.22501
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Hay, P., Girosi, F., & Mond, J. (2015). Prevalence and sociodemographic correlates of DSM-5 eating disorders in the Australian population. Journal of Eating Disorders, 3(1), 19. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40337-015-0054-0
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National Eating Disorders Collaboration (NEDC). National Eating Disorders Strategy 2023-2033. NEDC; 2023.