Eating disorder
Meaning of eating disorder: For the purposes of this Statement of Principles, eating disorder: (a) means a persistent disturbance of eating or eating-related behaviour resulting in the altered consumption or absorption of food, which significantly impairs physical health or psychosocial functioning; and (b) includes: (i) anorexia nervosa; (ii) bulimia nervosa; (iii) binge-eating disorder; (iv) pica; (v) rumination disorder; (vi) avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (vii) other specified feeding or eating disorder; and (viii) unspecified feeding or eating disorder; and (c) excludes: (i) anorexia; (ii) orthorexia nervosa; and (iii) polyphagia. anorexia nervosa means a disorder of mental health meeting the following diagnostic criteria (derived from DSM-5-TR): (a) Restriction of energy intake relative to requirements, leading to a significantly low body weight in the context of age, sex, developmental trajectory, and physical health. Significantly low weight is defined as a weight that is less than minimally normal or, for children and adolescents, less than that minimally expected; (b) Intense fear of gaining weight or of becoming fat, or persistent behaviour that interferes with weight gain, even though a
Reasonable Hypothesis (RH) — Statement of Principles No. 15 of 2025
At least one of the following factors must as a minimum exist before it can be said that a reasonable hypothesis has been raised connecting eating disorder or death from eating disorder with the circumstances of a person's relevant service:
- (1)experiencing a category 1A stressor during the 2 years before clinical onset or clinical worsening of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge-eating disorder or avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder;
Note: category 1A stressor is defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary.
- (2)experiencing a category 1B stressor during the 2 years before clinical onset or clinical worsening of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge-eating disorder or avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder;
Note: category 1B stressor is defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary.
- (3)experiencing a category 2 stressor during the 2 years before clinical onset or clinical worsening of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge-eating disorder or avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder;
Note: category 2 stressor is defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary.
- (4)being the subject of bullying during the 2 years before clinical onset or clinical worsening of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge-eating disorder or avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder;
Note: bullying is defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary.
- (5)experiencing the death of an important or influential person who has a close family bond or personal relationship, during the 2 years before the clinical onset or clinical worsening of binge-eating disorder;
- (6)having one of the following clinically significant disorders of mental health during the 2 years before clinical onset or clinical worsening of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge-eating disorder or avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder: (a) alcohol use disorder; (b) anxiety disorder; (c) attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder; (d) depressive disorder; (e) gender dysphoria; (f) obsessive compulsive disorder; (g) panic disorder; (h) personality disorder; (i) posttraumatic stress disorder; (j) social anxiety disorder; or (k) substance use disorder;
Note: clinically significant disorder of mental health is defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary.
- (7)having experienced as a child (under the age of 18) one of the following; (a) serious physical, emotional, or sexual harm; (b) neglect involving a serious failure to provide the necessities for health, physical and emotional development, or wellbeing by an adult; before clinical onset or clinical worsening of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge-eating disorder, or avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder;
- (8)having experienced as a child (under the age of 18) sexual abuse before clinical onset or clinical worsening of other specified feeding or eating disorder;
- (9)experiencing regular food insecurity for a continuous period of 3 months at the time of clinical onset or clinical worsening of binge- eating disorder;
Note: food insecurity is defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary.
- (10)having type 1 diabetes mellitus for at least the 3 months before clinical onset or clinical worsening of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, or avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder;
- (11)inability to obtain appropriate clinical management for eating disorder before clinical worsening;
Balance of Probabilities (BoP) — Statement of Principles No. 16 of 2025
8 factors
At least one of the following factors must exist before it can be said that, on the balance of probabilities, eating disorder or death from eating disorder is connected with the circumstances of a person's relevant service:
- (1)experiencing a category 1A stressor during the 1 year before clinical onset or clinical worsening of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge-eating disorder or avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder;
Note: category 1A stressor is defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary.
- (2)being the subject of bullying during the 2 years before clinical onset or clinical worsening of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge-eating disorder or avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder;
Note: bullying is defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary.
- (3)having one of the following clinically significant disorders of mental health during the 12 months before clinical onset or clinical worsening of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge-eating disorder or avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder: (a) anxiety disorder; (b) attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder; (c) depressive disorder; (d) personality disorder; (e) posttraumatic stress disorder; or (f) social anxiety disorder;
Note: clinically significant disorder of mental health is defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary.
- (4)having experienced as a child (under the age of 18) one of the following; (a) serious physical, emotional, or sexual harm; (b) neglect involving a serious failure to provide the necessities for health, physical and emotional development, or wellbeing by an adult; before clinical onset or clinical worsening of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge-eating disorder, or avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder;
- (5)having experienced as a child (under the age of 18) sexual abuse before clinical onset or clinical worsening of other specified feeding or eating disorder;
- (6)experiencing regular food insecurity for a continuous period of 3 months at the time of clinical onset or clinical worsening of binge- eating disorder;
Note: food insecurity is defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary.
- (7)having type 1 diabetes mellitus for at least the 3 months before clinical onset or clinical worsening of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, or avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder;
- (8)inability to obtain appropriate clinical management for eating disorder before clinical worsening;
