Eating disorders: do they look the same everywhere? (with Dr Amy Talbot)

Eating disorders have traditionally been understood through research and diagnostic frameworks developed largely in Western contexts.

But how well do these frameworks account for the ways eating disorders are experienced across different cultures?

In this episode of Being Human, Dr. Chua Sook Ning speaks with clinical psychologist Dr. Amy Talbot, Director of The Talbot Centre in Sydney, about eating disorders, culture and the importance of representation in mental healthcare.

Drawing on conversations that began at the 2026 ANZAED Conference, they explore how cultural beliefs and experiences can shape our relationship with food and our bodies, and why some experiences might go unrecognised in clinical settings.

They also discuss the importance of lived experience, what meaningful representation looks like in research and treatment, and how clinicians and mental health services can become more culturally responsive to the people they work with.

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