Dr WASHER (3:54 PM) —I thank the member for Chisholm for bringing this important issue to the attention of the House. Eating disorders are psychological disorders where dieting and eating behaviours are severely disturbed and become the focus of one’s life. The most widely recognised disorders are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Anorexia is hallmarked by an extreme reluctance to consume food as a result of a psychological disturbed body image. This may lead to extreme malnutrition and weight loss, which may become potentially life threatening. The incidence of the disease is around one to two per cent among schoolgirls and university students and is 10 times more common in women. Suicide has been reported in two to five per cent of patients with chronic anorexia nervosa and the mortality rate per year is around 0.5 per cent. Fifty per cent of sufferers make a full recovery, 30 people cent a partial recovery and, sadly, 20 people cent do not recover.

Unfortunately drug treatment has had limited success except to symptomatically treat insomnia and depressive illness. Bulimia is characterised by episodic, uncontrolled and impulsive binge eating followed by self-induced vomiting or consumption of laxatives or purgatives to avoid the weight gain associated with such behaviour. Like anorexia, bulimia is a condition 10 times more common in women than men; the usual onset is between 16 and 18 years of age. Any given woman has a one to four per cent chance of developing this condition throughout her lifetime. Prognosis for bulimia is better than for anorexia, with approximately 60 per cent of patients recovering with appropriate treatment.

There are a few predisposing factors for the development of eating disorders. The main risk factor seems to be a family history of psychiatric illness or a coexisting psychiatric problem. Whether this trend represents a genetic or environmental link is not entirely known—the incidence of eating disorders may be increasing—however, it may also be due to better recognition and detection of these diseases. Figures produced by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare on the annual numbers of hospital episodes associated with eating disorders show that there was a decline of 19.8 per cent for anorexia and a 20.7 per cent decline for bulimia between 1998 and 2005. These figures can give an indication of the severity or degree of eating disorders over time for which hospitalisation is required.

Even though the responsibility of provision and regulation for mental health services lies with the state and territory governments, the Australian government has played a significant role through the Mental Health Strategy. The last budget included $1.9 billion in new funding to further improve services for people with a mental illness, their families and carers. Importantly, for those who are suffering from eating disorders, this included $538 million for the Better Access to Psychiatrists, Psychologists and GPs through the Medicare Benefits Schedule initiative. This initiative enables GPs to provide early intervention and assessment of patients with mental disorders. Early intervention is critical to successfully treating eating disorders. The earlier it is recognized, the greater the chance of recovery.

In addition, the Australian government has awarded $2.25 million in the last six years for research investigating eating disorders and people support schemes. The Worldwide Charter for Action on Eating Disorders has been prepared by the Academy for Eating Disorders. Signatories include individuals and organisations, not countries, and the charter has no legal standing in relation to a nation’s obligations. It is a well-intended document that is designed to make people and organisations more aware of the disease and the help that sufferers and families need. The government know how debilitating this illness is for those who suffer from it and the families and friends who suffer alongside them. We take this disease, like all mental illness, very seriously and will continue to fund research and support in this area.