Session C2
Tracks
Stream C
| Friday, May 16, 2025 |
| 3:15 PM - 4:15 PM |
Overview
Could it be an Eating Disorder? The Reality of Diverse ED Presentations | Dr Francesca Beilharz, Janet Lowndes (60 mins)
Presenter
Dr Francesca Beilharz
Could it be an Eating Disorder? The Reality of Diverse ED Presentations
3:15 PM - 4:15 PMAbstract
Who do you imagine when you think of a client with an Eating Disorder (ED)? EDs are highly stigmatised mental health conditions, which stereotypically have been believed to predominately affect young, white, affluent, and smaller bodied women. In reality, clients with marginialised identities have similar, if not significantly higher rates of EDs, across intersections of gender, sexuality, neurodivergence, age, body size and race:
• >30% of trans and gender diverse people screen positive for ED symptoms (Keski-Rahkonen, 2023), and lesbian, gay and bisexual adults have higher rates of EDs compared to their heterosexual peers (Parker, 2020).
• 70% of Autistic people experience eating related challenges, with 30-40% of people with EDs being Autistic (Inoue et al., 2021) and ADHDers have 3-6x increased risk of developing an eating disorder (Svedlund et al., 2017).
• Among adults aged 40+ years, up to 7.7% of women and 1% of men met criteria for an ED; and among a systematic review of people aged 65+ years, 56.4% of EDs were reported as late onset (after age 40; Mulchadani et al., 2021).
• >50% of all people with an eating disorder are in larger bodies, and much higher prevalence rates are recorded for Atypical Anorexia Nervosa by age 20 (20%) vs Anorexia Nervosa (1%) (da Luz et al., 2017).
• Large-scale studies have demonstrated that rates of all eating disorders are the same or higher among all racial and ethnic groups, including among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples (Cheng, 2019, Burt et al., 2020).
Despite these increased rates and risk factors, people in marginalised communities are significantly underrepresented in treatment settings, and their symptoms are often missed as they don’t fit the stereotypical idea of what an eating disorder ‘looks like’. Psychologists are not immune to implicit bias and assumptions which can lead to delayed, ineffective, or inaccessible treatment.
This workshop will explore the way clients with diverse identities (including gender, sexuality, age, neurotype, body size and cultural or racial background) experience EDs, as well as the contributing and compounding intersectional factors which can impact access to safe and inclusive ED treatment. We hope to support psychologists to recognise and challenge their implicit bias and create an intersectional framework to identify and support clients who have historically fallen through the gaps in eating disorder care.
• >30% of trans and gender diverse people screen positive for ED symptoms (Keski-Rahkonen, 2023), and lesbian, gay and bisexual adults have higher rates of EDs compared to their heterosexual peers (Parker, 2020).
• 70% of Autistic people experience eating related challenges, with 30-40% of people with EDs being Autistic (Inoue et al., 2021) and ADHDers have 3-6x increased risk of developing an eating disorder (Svedlund et al., 2017).
• Among adults aged 40+ years, up to 7.7% of women and 1% of men met criteria for an ED; and among a systematic review of people aged 65+ years, 56.4% of EDs were reported as late onset (after age 40; Mulchadani et al., 2021).
• >50% of all people with an eating disorder are in larger bodies, and much higher prevalence rates are recorded for Atypical Anorexia Nervosa by age 20 (20%) vs Anorexia Nervosa (1%) (da Luz et al., 2017).
• Large-scale studies have demonstrated that rates of all eating disorders are the same or higher among all racial and ethnic groups, including among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples (Cheng, 2019, Burt et al., 2020).
Despite these increased rates and risk factors, people in marginalised communities are significantly underrepresented in treatment settings, and their symptoms are often missed as they don’t fit the stereotypical idea of what an eating disorder ‘looks like’. Psychologists are not immune to implicit bias and assumptions which can lead to delayed, ineffective, or inaccessible treatment.
This workshop will explore the way clients with diverse identities (including gender, sexuality, age, neurotype, body size and cultural or racial background) experience EDs, as well as the contributing and compounding intersectional factors which can impact access to safe and inclusive ED treatment. We hope to support psychologists to recognise and challenge their implicit bias and create an intersectional framework to identify and support clients who have historically fallen through the gaps in eating disorder care.
.....
Dr Fran Beilharz is a Clinical Psychologist at Mind Body Well, a private practice providing therapies for people with Eating Disorders and concerns with weight, shape and wellbeing - from a size inclusive perspective which respects diverse embodied experiences.
Fran is an experienced Credentialed Eating Disorder Clinician who is passionate about providing care that respects the lived experiences of her clients. Her therapeutic practice integrates social justice work, embodiment practices, harm reduction approaches and a range of evidence-based therapeutic modalities. She has experience working in private practice and higher levels of eating disorder care.
Fran is a Board Approved Supervisor, providing professional support and training to early career psychologists in the eating disorder and body image field. Fran also has a strong research background, with her Doctorate of Clinical Psychology thesis exploring perceptual distortions in Body Dysmorphic Disorder, and developing a novel treatment trial.
Ms Janet Lowndes
Mind Body Well
Could it be an Eating Disorder? The Reality of Diverse ED Presentations
3:15 PM - 4:15 PM.....
Janet Lowndes is Founding Director and Principal Psychologist at Mind Body Well, a private practice providing therapies for people with Eating Disorders and concerns with weight, shape and wellbeing - from a size inclusive perspective which respects diverse embodied experiences.
Janet has over 30 years experience in therapeutic practice, inspired by neuropsychotherapy, embodiment, and social justice perspectives. Her professional background includes roles in the prison system, international aid, community health, and private practice settings. She is a Credentialed Eating Disorder Clinician with the Australia and New Zealand Academy for Eating Disorders.
Janet is an experienced trainer and supervisor, providing professional support to mental health, medical, and allied health professionals. Her approach is evidence-based, client-centred, and is focussed on enhancing mind-body wellbeing.
Janet is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD), and she has served on numerous Boards of Directors, committees and advisory panels.
