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 Gam...
Aug 23, 2021•23 min
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 t...
Aug 02, 2021•25 min•Season 2Ep. 2
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...
Jul 18, 2021•25 min
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...
Jul 05, 2021•26 min•Season 2Ep. 1
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 Do...
Jun 07, 2021•25 min•Season 1Ep. 13
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 te...
May 11, 2021•24 min•Season 1Ep. 12
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...
Apr 06, 2021•28 min•Season 1Ep. 11
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 Collabor...
Mar 08, 2021•30 min•Season 1Ep. 10
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 dietin...
Feb 03, 2021•27 min•Season 1Ep. 9
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"....
Jan 06, 2021•26 min•Season 1Ep. 8
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, wi...
Dec 02, 2020•26 min•Season 1Ep. 7
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...
Nov 04, 2020•24 min•Season 1Ep. 6
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...
Oct 01, 2020•28 min•Season 1Ep. 5
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 ...
Sep 03, 2020•31 min•Season 1Ep. 4
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, de...
Aug 06, 2020•25 min•Season 1Ep. 3
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 signifi...
Jul 07, 2020•27 min•Season 1Ep. 2
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 liv...
Jun 11, 2020•26 min•Season 1Ep. 1
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 omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
May 29, 2020•2 min
