Deborah Mitchison

My research is directed at reducing the burden of eating disorders and associated body image problems within the population. I am leading two arms of research toward this endeavour. The first arm is the study of eating disorders epidemiology. The second arm involves the study of treatment-seeking for eating disorders. These two arms converge to allow me to understand the disconnect between the characteristics of people who experience eating disorders at a population level versus people who gain access to treatment for an eating disorder. Ultimately this will lead to applied research to improve treatment access and effectiveness. 

I am a researcher and a clinical psychologist, specialising in eating and body image disorders. Currently I am completing a Macquarie University Research Fellowship, investigating eating disorders development, burden, and access to treatment in a longitudinal cohort of > 5000 adolescents.

I provide guest lectures on topics such as eating disorders psychopathology, epidemiological research methods, and body dysmorphic disorder.

Current Students

• PhD - Priyanka Thapliyal "Males experiences of treatment for an eating disorder"
• PhD/MClinPsych - Alexandra Lonergan "Look at your selfie: The role of self-objectification and social media photo editing on Australian adolescents’ eating and body image concerns"
• MClinPsych - Jennifer Gardner "The role of rejection sensitivity and bullying in the conferral of risk to the development of eating disorders and muscle dysmorphia"
• Honours - Xiaojing Lei "Elucidating the Roles of Sexual Harassmnent and Self Objectification in the Development of Body Image Distrubance in Adolescence"
• Honours - Natalie Li "A Comparison of the Characteristics and Burden of Objective and Subjective Binge Eating Using a General Population Sample"

I hold several professional memberships and roles, including membership on the current Executive Committee for the Australia and New Zealand Academy for Eating Disorders, and on the Scientific Committee for the 2020 International Conference for Eating Disorders. I also provide professional development to felllow clinicians and regularly consult with school wellbeing staff regarding the detection and management of eating disorders in the school context.