Eating Disorder Families Australia's Stacey Rogers says more help is needed in Bendigo

Stacey Rogers is the Bendigo carer support facilitator for Eating Disorder families Australia and she has also cared for her own daughter as she suffered an eating disorder.

"My daughter had an eating disorder, which we identified about five years ago," Ms Rogers said.

"So I was her primary carer at the time and we had quite a difficult time navigating the health system and finding the right supports for her.

"From that, I got in touch with a group down in Melbourne called Eating Disorder Families Australia and they provided carer support.

"It was really good to identify that you're not the only family that's struggling through this kind of a mental illness."

Ms Rogers said she found the group's tips and suggestions really helpful and she has learned different strategies to manage an eating disorder within her own home, leading her to eventually join the group as a facilitator herself.

"I became one of the care support people because I could see that there was a massive gap in the system in caring for carers who look after someone with an eating disorder," she said.

"They've really come a long, long way in the five years since I first became involved and a lot of that is on the back of the mental health reform that was done only a couple of years ago, identifying that there was a big deficit in mental health care and particularly in eating disorders."

World Eating Disorder Action Day on June 2 offered a opportunity to speak about the dangerous health condition, but the mother, carer and advocate believes much more needs to be done to prevent suffering and needless deaths.

The National Eating Disorders Collaboration website says the mortality rate for people with eating disorders is the highest of all psychiatric illnesses and more than 12 times the rate seen in those without disordered eating conditions - and regional services are not always available.

"We're so limited, it takes months and months and months to get into a psychologist here," Ms Rogers said.

"A lot of GPs are not trained in how to cope with and how to diagnose, discuss, speak with people with eating disorders.

"We certainly don't have enough dietitians, child adolescent mental health service workers are well and truly overworked and our hospitals here too are not equipped to safely care for people with eating disorders who are medically unstable either."

Bendigo is not alone in being under resourced according to 24-year-old Hannah White who has lived with an eating disorder and is based in Ballarat.

"It's been a chronic battle and I've been in the hospital system, public and private," Ms White said.

"I've had to travel to Melbourne and Geelong for treatment, because there isn't anything in Ballarat.

"It would be fantastic if we had a treatment centre like they do in Melbourne and Geelong that do programs that are inpatient, and they also run day programs as well as an outpatient program.

"To have that in more regional places would make a massive difference because traveling to the city or away from your family and friends is a really difficult challenge when you're unwell."

Ms White is currently collating stories about recovery from people with lived experience, professionals with expertise in the area as well as family and friends who have witnessed a journey of recovery.

"There's a lot of stigma around what an eating disorder is and what it looks like," she said.

"Eating disorders are a really complex mental illness with serious physical consequences and they're definitely not a lifestyle choice that a lot of people think that they are."

Those in the community who wish to share their perspective can submit up to 1000 words through hannahgw@bigpond.com with further guidance available at mindframe.org.au

Anyone struggling with cahnges in their eating, exercising or relationship to food can seek assistance from their GP, or call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or the Butterfly Foundation on 1800 33 4673.

Eating disorders come in all shapes and sizes, and affect people of all ages and genders - but help is available and recovery is possible.

If you're reading this it's because you're a loyal subscriber to the Bendigo Advertiser. If you want to get more out of your subscription join the discussion on the Bendigo Advertiser's subscriber group on Facebook today.