Earlier this year, Eating Disorders Qld made a submission to the Queensland Government ‘Inquiry into the opportunities to improve mental health outcomes for Queenslanders.’ You can find the full EDQ submission here.
Following this submission, in March we were invited to be witness at a public hearing for the Inquiry. Megan Bray (Dietitian) joined Rohie (Care Navigator and Public Health Lead) and Belinda (CEO) to speak at the Queensland Parliament Inquiry into the opportunities to improve mental health outcomes for Queenslanders. At this hearing we were able to advocate for increased funding for services, and focussed public health campaigns to reduce stigma and encourage early access to eating disorder services.
EDQ was quoted in the report as saying, “There is a strong link between the low level of help‐seeking among people with eating disorders and link to stigma. Less than one in four people (23.2 per cent) with eating disorders seek professional help. Stigma and shame are the most frequently identified barriers for accessing treatment. Other factors include denial of and failure to perceive the severity of the illness, practical barriers such as cost of treatment, low motivation to change, negative attitudes towards seeking help, lack of encouragement from others to seek help, and lack of knowledge about help resources.”
The finalised report and recommendations from this inquiry were released this month and can be found here. Recommendations include public health campaigns to reduce stigma (including stigma associated with eating disorders, including families, carers, and support persons in Queensland’s mental health system, and including voices of lived experience in service reform.