Tamworth eating disorders group ahead of national trend

The numbers tell the story:

• the suicide rate for anorexia is 32 times higher than average
• 15-20 percent of chronic anorexics die of the illness
• of all the psychiatric illnesses, eating disorders have the highest mortality rate
• body image is the top ranked concern for 15 to 19 year olds nationally
• 90 percent of 12 to 17 year-old girls are on a diet of some description.

With 27 network meetings, Mental Health Professionals Network Tamworth Eating Disorders network is one of MHPN’s most active. It’s probably no surprise that its record in treating eating disorders is ahead of the national averages.

Never wavering from its focus, the group’s roots go back 17 years to a collaboration between a Tamworth Hospital dietician, Deanne Harris, and local GP, Dr Miriam Grotowski. They recognised the growing influence of, and mortality behind eating disorders and set up a alliance. Both women are still active in the field and in the MHPN network.

Tamworth Hospital ran a program three years ago called Nourishing Networks. It aimed at providing information and education for health professionals confronted by eating disorders. A second aim–which would become one of the intentions of the MHPN network–was to help those same health professionals interact for expanded knowledge and referrals.

As a result of the initiative, a partnership formed with the Butterfly Foundation. The foundation is Australia’s largest organisation devoted specifically to researching the causes of, and supporting people with the mental illness of an eating disorder.

The foundation recently asked the Tamworth group to take part in its pilot eating disorder survey in regional areas. 

The MHPN network has school counsellors, GPs, social workers, psychologists, mental health nurses and dieticians and occasional visits from paediatricians and psychiatrists. 

It is aligned to the Tamworth Eating Disorder Awareness committee which raises funds for information packages. The packs are for GPs to distribute to newly diagnosed people with eating disorders and their families and carers.

Triad treatment

The network’s main measure of success is delivering ‘triad’ treatment to patients. The triad system combines care from a psychologist, dietician and GP and is viewed as the most effective course of therapy. All Tamworth’s patients–an average of about 20 a year, exclusively female and in the age range of 10 to 50–receive triad treatment.

Sally says treatment in Tamworth is effective because of the experience and collaborative approach of the clinicians. As a result recovery from eating disorders is above the national average and deaths are well below.

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