n the past five years, calls to the national helpline for people with eating disorders and body image issues have increased by an alarming 263 per cent. The surge was largely due Combined with heightened anxiety over economic uncertainty and a lack of social support in isolation, the pandemic created the perfect conditions for eating disorders. While the lockdowns were undeniably a widespread trigger, it’s important to understand that the complexities of anorexia are layered. “Triggers will always happen in life and yet not everyone will develop disordered eating as a result,” says Roberts. “Anorexia is a coping mechanism for something much deeper where, instead of dealing with our fears, we create a false sense of control because that gives us power and a sense of safety.” The national eating disorder charity, Butterfly, stresses that greater funding and support is needed for prevention, with a survey revealing that more than 90 per cent of young people in Australia have some body image concerns.
