Editor’s Note:

Wishing you all a safe and happy Easter!

Managing anxieties over this period can make Easter a difficult time for people experiencing eating disorders and their carers. There may be limited face to face support due to the public holidays, so having at hand a list of phone and web support services may be useful to assist you in your professional practice or as a person or carer affected by an eating disorder.

Below we have put together some information about support services available Australia wide over the Easter weekend.

We are also pleased to announce NEDC’s next Members’ Meeting, to be held on 1-2 June 2018 in Sydney. This year’s theme of “Eating Disorders in Primary Care” will cover an exciting and important range of topics for two days of professional development, contribution, knowledge-sharing and collaboration. See below for more information.

If you are interested in connecting or collaborating with the NEDC, we encourage you to join and become an NEDC member.

Contents:

1. 2018 NEDC Members’ Meeting
2. Getting Support over the Easter Weekend

The 2018 NEDC Members’ Meeting is a free members only forum that will showcase the collective impact of knowledge building and research in eating disorders. This year’s theme is “Eating Disorders in Primary Care”, with a special welcome to Primary Health Networks (PHNs).

Members’ Meetings are convened by the National Eating Disorders Collaboration (NEDC) to enable our diverse and invaluable membership to come together and share knowledge, discuss national standards, workforce development, prevention, early intervention and treatment of eating disorders, as well as consumer resources.

The 2018 Meeting is being held in Sydney, NSW. Attendees can expect to:

• Engage with key eating disorder experts and PHN stakeholders to build an integrated approach to eating disorders
• Learn about evidence-based initiatives in primary care
• Explore opportunities for collaboration with the nation-wide eating disorders workforce
• Engage with NEDC plans and projects including providing suggestions, requests and recommendations
• Access opportunities for local and national professional networking 
• Gather a suite of evidence based resources from NEDC and a range of other key stakeholders

Online registration will open soon – watch this space for more information.

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Face to face support may become limited over Easter. However, with celebrations involving food and socialising, a heightened sense of fear and anxiety may occur during this period for people experiencing or caring for someone with an eating disorder (Grilo et al., 2011).

An awareness of support services available over the Easter can help individuals manage their anxiety and assist in making this season as comfortable and enjoyable as possible.

If you wish to speak to someone, you can contact the below:

Butterfly National Helpline – 1800 334 673

Online Chat: Open Chat Now 
Email: https://butterfly.org.au/get-support/helpline-email/

Operating Hours: Monday to Friday, 8am - 12am AEST, 7 days a week(except national public holidays).

EASTER HOURS

Friday 30th March - CLOSED
Saturday 31st March - OPEN
Sunday 1st April - OPEN
Monday 2nd April - CLOSED

Butterfly's National Helpline is Australia’s national eating disorders support service providing phone, email and web counselling for all those affected by eating disorders or body image concerns. People with an eating disorder, families, carers, friends and professionals can contact the Helpline for information, support and referrals.

Eating Disorders Victoria Helpline – 1300 550 236

Email: help@eatingdisorders.org.au
Operating Hours: Monday to Friday, 9.30am – 5pm AEST (except national/major public holidays).

Eating Disorders Victoria Helpline is a free and confidential service providing support and information about eating disorders and related issues.

Beyond Blue – 1300 224 636

Online Chat: Open Chat Now (7 days a week, 3pm-12am AEST)
Email: Email Now
Operating Hours: 24/7 Helpline including Public Holidays

Beyond Blue provides support for people with anxiety and depression and their families and friends.

SANE – 1800 18 7263

Online Counselling: Open Chat Now 
Email: helpline@sane.org
Operating Hours: Monday to Friday, 10am – 10pm AEST (except national/major public holidays).

SANE help centre provides information, guidance and referral to help manage mental health concerns.

The SANE Help Centre will be closed between Friday, March 30 and Monday, April 2.

MensLine – 1300 78 99 78

Online Counselling: Open Chat Now
Operating Hours: 24/7 Helpline and Chat including Public Holidays

MensLine Australia is the national telephone and online support, information and referral service for men with personal, family and relationship concerns.

Qlife – 1800 184 527

Online Counselling: Open Chat Now
Operating Hours: 7 days a week, 3pm – 12am AEST (including Public Holidays)

Qlife is the national counselling and referral service for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) people.
 

What to do with this information?

It may be useful to keep this information with you at all times and even print a copy to have at hand. Healthcare providers, practice managers and educators are encouraged to share or print a copy to keep in their office for referrals and professional support.

This information is useful for:
• People experiencing an eating disorder
• Families, friends and carers
• Health professionals
• Educators

For a downloadable copy of phone and web support information click the link below.

References

Grilo, C. M., Pagano, M. E., Stout, R. L., Markowitz, J. C., Ansell, E. B., Pinto, A., … Skodol, A. E. (2011). Stressful Life Events Predict Eating Disorder Relapse Following Remission: Six-Year Prospective Outcomes. International Journal of Eating, 1–8.

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