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Changing Minds

@changingmindsnz

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Creating a new future for mental health, addiction and wellbeing in Aotearoa New Zealand
https://www.changingminds.org.nz/

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A few moments from Voices of Hope LIVE 💛

We’re still reflecting on what was such a special evening. There is something incredibly powerful about a room full of people coming together, to listen to others stories.

To everyone who joined us, thank you. To every speaker and panellist who shared parts of their story so openly, thank you for being Voices of Hope. Your courage created space for others to feel seen, understood and a little less alone. To the volunteers, team from AMP, Youthline and everyone else who made the evening what it was , thank you! To @hummingbirdcoffee , thank you for believing in our vision. 🤍

As we’ve worked through the feedback from the night, one comment has stayed with us:

“Hearing stories that I could relate to in different aspects made me feel so much less alone. I felt like I belonged in that room, which I have never felt before. I felt like I could just breathe again.”

For us, that’s what Voices of Hope has always been about. Creating spaces where people can recognise themselves in someone else’s story and walk away carrying a little more hope than they arrived with.

Thank you for being part of it. 💛

Christchurch we’ll see you in September. Tickets will be available end of July / early August 🫶🏽

📸 @lorengracetaylor

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Wednesday night was a special one ❤️

A couple of hundred people came together to hear stories of hope from a range of incredible lived experience speakers.

The feedback we’ve received since the event has been so lovely. So many people have shared that they felt less alone, that they saw parts of themselves reflected on stage, or that they finally felt understood by someone else’s experience.

That is the power of lived experience.

Not because one story has all the answers, but because hearing someone else say “me too” can change everything.

To every speaker who shared so openly, every volunteer who gave their time, every supporter who helped make the evening possible, and every person who walked through the doors, thank you.

A special thanks also to @hummingbirdcoffee who through their ‘Vote for Good’ campaign, made this possible.

At Voices of Hope, we believe that stories save lives. Not because they take pain away, but because they remind us that hope is real, recovery is possible, and that no matter what you’re facing, you don’t have to face it alone.

Thank you for being part of the conversation.

See you in September Christchurch 🫶🏽

🎥 @nosyparker__

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🟣 UK developments and Next Steps for New Zealand.

There are growing calls in the UK for more accurate recording of eating disorder-related deaths within the National Mortality Register, alongside implementation of a clear, funded National Eating Disorders Strategy with investment in prevention, early intervention, and workforce training.

➡️ Accurate data matters. When deaths are not properly recorded, the true impact of eating disorders remains hidden, making it harder to plan services, allocate resources, and improve outcomes. Combined with a cohesive national framework, better data creates accountability and helps identify where change is needed to save lives.

The interview concluded with practical solutions - including improvements to mortality coding and a structured national strategy. Both have relevance for New Zealand, where current mortality data appears to capture only a small proportion of eating disorder-related deaths.

🟣 While New Zealand's National Eating Disorders Strategy was released last year and provides an important foundation, the next step is strengthening it with clearer actions, accountability measures, implementation pathways, and workforce development - drawing on elements of Australia's roadmap approach and established core training framework, both of which EDCS recommended during consultation.

This is an issue that transcends political boundaries. We would welcome support from all parties, decision-makers, and sector leaders to strengthen implementation of the National Eating Disorders Strategy, improve mortality reporting, and ensure eating disorders receive the attention and investment needed to reduce harm and save lives.

If you are working in this space - whether in policy, health, research, lived experience, or advocacy - EDCS would welcome the opportunity to continue the conversation about practical solutions for Aotearoa New Zealand.

#edcsnz
#EatingDisorders
#NgaMauiuiKai
#EDNationalStrategy
#NextSteps

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🟣 Research Insights - What Happens After Discharge Matters.

New Australian research highlights a critical gap in eating disorder care: the transition from inpatient treatment back into the community.

Families often describe discharge as the point where support becomes harder to access, despite recovery still being underway.

What would a nationally coordinated eating disorder transition and step-down care pathway look like in New Zealand?

Recovery does not end at discharge.

#EDCSNZ #SupportingCarers #EatingDisorders #NgaMauiuiKai #EDResearch

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💜 Today is World Eating Disorders Action Day 2026 💜

🌏 Aotearoa New Zealand is among the first countries in the world to welcome #WEDAD2026.

This year's theme is:

Stop Stigma. Start Care. Together.

Eating disorders can affect anyone - at any age, in any body, and from any background. Greater understanding helps create earlier recognition, better support, and more opportunities for recovery.

Today we're sharing our 9 Facts About Eating Disorders resource in both English and Te Reo Māori to help build awareness, challenge common misconceptions, and support informed conversations in our communities.

Together, we can create a future where people and whānau feel understood, supported, and able to access the care they need.

#WEDAD2026 #WorldEatingDisordersActionDay
#ngamauiuikai #edcsnz

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A live event featuring honest lived experience stories of mental health challenges and hope, with speakers including our founders @jazzthornton and @_genevieve_mora

Get your free tickets now at thevoicesofhope.org

Bring your friends, bring your whānau and most importantly, just come as you are 🫶🏽

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Connecting the dots in eating disorders collaborative support 🟣

Eating Disorders Carer Support NZ (EDCS) has been awarded a national contract by Te Whatu Ora to deliver the first coordinated carer support online programme of its kind in Aotearoa.

Families and whānau are central to care. Making sure they can see and access this support also being funded for them 💜
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1cbHgyAiRq/

#edcsnz
#supportingcarers
#supportingwhanau
#eatingdisorders
#ngamauiuikai

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💭 Looking for support from people who genuinely understand what this is like?

EDCS runs a private Facebook group for parents and carers supporting someone with an eating disorder. It’s a moderated, peer-led space - providing real connection with others who are living this too.

💡Inside the EDCS Carer Group you’ll find:

Carer-centred conversations grounded in respect, care, and realism

Shared experiences from families at very different points — early days through to longer-term recovery

EDCS resources and evidence-informed information in the Guides section - to support safer, more effective caregiving

Clear guidelines to protect privacy, boundaries, and trust

Hope grounded in lived experience — seeing that change is possible, even when it doesn’t feel that way yet

This group exists because caring for someone with an eating disorder can be isolating, exhausting, and often misunderstood. Alongside practical support, it offers perspective and reassurance from those who’ve been there - and are still here.

If you’re a parent or carer who could use connection and hope right now, you’re welcome to join 💜

🔗 EDCS Carer Support Group: https://lnkd.in/e35ssCjr

💬 What’s something you wish people understood about being a carer?

#EDCSNZ #CarerSupport #EatingDisorderSupport #YouAreNotAlone #CarerCommunity

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My office co-workers say today is for self-care - no rainy walks thanks mum 💖

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

8 January 2026

EDCS NZ Supports Urgent DSM Changes to Eating Disorder Criteria

Eating Disorders Carer Support New Zealand (EDCS NZ) welcomes the proposed updates to the DSM’s eating disorder severity criteria, which shift the focus from BMI thresholds to clinical risk, symptom severity, and functional impact.

“Carers tell us every day about the delays and barriers their loved ones face in accessing support,” said Sarah Rowland, Chairperson of EDCS NZ. “Weight-based severity criteria have been a major barrier. This change ensures that diagnosis and care are based on real clinical risk, not just body weight.”

EDCS NZ also urges the removal of the term “atypical”, which is applied to most people with eating disorders despite fewer than 6% being medically underweight. The label is misleading, weight-biased, and fails to recognise the full spectrum of eating disorder presentations.

“These updates are about more than definitions — they can transform access to care, support prevention, and improve early intervention,” Rowland said. “They also make diagnosis more culturally inclusive and better aligned with the realities carers and families see every day.”

Public consultation closes 8 January 2026 (US time), and EDCS NZ encourages clinicians, policy makers, carers, and people with lived experience to submit feedback in support of these critical changes.

Direct link to survey

For media enquiries:
Email: info@edcs.co.nz

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📣 DSM consultation: potentially transformative update to eating disorder severity criteria.

‼️Closes TODAY (8th January - US time)

The American Psychiatric Association is proposing updates to DSM eating disorder severity criteria, moving away from BMI thresholds towards clinical risk, symptom severity, and functional impact.

This is a rare and consequential opportunity: DSM definitions underpin clinical guidelines, funding models, eligibility thresholds, and service design worldwide. How severity is defined directly shapes access to care, intervention timing, and treatment pathways. For many people, this change could significantly improve recognition, support, and outcomes.

Public comment closes TODAY - 8 January.

EDCS encourages clinicians, policy leads, carers, and people with lived experience to submit a brief comment before the consultation ends.

🔗 https://lnkd.in/e2fRs2PT

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