Research

InsideOut is Australia’s national institute for research, translation and clinical excellence in eating disorders with global research partnerships. We aim to transform the prevention, early intervention and treatment landscape for eating disorders in Australia, and ultimately find a cure.

InsideOut Publications

InsideOut leads the Australian National Research and Translation Strategy 2020-2030 and conducts innovative, leading research including world-first trials on psychotherapy for people with severe and enduring Anorexia Nervosa, oxytocin for those with Anorexia Nervosa, online treatment programs for people with Bulimia Nervosa, Binge Eating Disorder and sub-clinical presentations, and cannabidiol & psychedelics for treatment of people with complex and enduring Anorexia Nervosa.

Since 2018 we have attracted more than $5.5m in research funding, and we have published more than 200 research papers on eating disorder aetiology, prevention and treatment. We regularly present our findings at national and international conferences.

The Institute is currently leading the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) funded Mainstream National Centre for Research & Translation in Eating Disorders. It will build the first comprehensive population-based surveillance system of people with eating disorders, to track detection and intervention across the national health system and monitor outcomes; establishing a national continuous lived experience lifetime survey for people with eating disorders, their family and carers; undertake translation-focused testing for scalable models of care for mainstream health; establish translation hubs in NSW, VIC and QLD to embed research expertise linked to front-line health system design and delivery; and, develop health system and economic models to inform decision making about interventions.

The Institute’s senior researchers, postdocs and PhD students are running numerous other projects in collaboration with partners around Australia and internationally. These have a current focus on early intervention, treatment innovation, translation of evidence-based treatment and improving treatment access, efficacy and equity for all Australians.

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The impact of the COVID‑19 pandemic and associated public health response on people with eating disorder symptomatology: an Australian study

This study investigates the association of the coronavirus pandemic with eating disorder (ED) symptomatology to measure impact and identify risk factors for clinical consideration. The COVID-19 pandemic and its associated public health response, albeit necessary, was found to be associated with worsening of ED symptoms, increase in mental health illnesses and low treatment rates in populations with clinically significant symptoms. Some of the key influencing factors included changes in daily routine, lack of access to treatment and support, and exposure to news coverage and social media. Of particular concern was that over half of the participants were not receiving treatment for their symptoms and 40% had never sought or received a formal diagnosis. The findings from this study highlight the need for comprehensive mental health assessment and increased access to treatment across the health care system, especially for people with eating disorders, to help deal with the detrimental impacts of the pandemic on this illness group, especially for those not currently engaged in the health care system.

7 Feb, 2022

Lived experience perspectives on labeling and defining long-standing anorexia nervosa

With the existence of various presentations of anorexia nervosa, the current study explored the perspectives of individuals with a long-standing presentation to determine the way in which this illness should be labeled and defined when it persists for over a seven year period.

26 Nov, 2021

How and why does the disease progress? A qualitative investigation of the transition into long-standing anorexia nervosa

Adopting a narrative inquiry approach, this study aimed to investigate the transition of anorexia nervosa from earlier to later stages of the illness.

26 Nov, 2021

The Neuropsychological Profile of Severe and Enduring Anorexia Nervosa: A Systematic Review

This study was a systematic review exploring the neuropsychological functioning of anorexia nervosa that persists for seven or more years. By re-analysing pre-existing data, the current review was the first step towards exploring whether neuropsychological factors may represent a unique characteristic of these presentations and help to explain their trajectory.

26 Nov, 2021