Food and Eating

Abstract

The Walker Unit recognises the role of good nutrition to help support a young person’s growth and mental health. An experienced dietician and chef work closely with patients, families and staff to ensure dietary needs and meal preferences are managed to support good mental and physical health. The multidisciplinary team at the Walker Unit have experience managing difficult and complex eating behaviours that can present along with severe mental illness. These include restrictive and avoidant eating behaviours, overeating and binge eating, compensatory behaviours following eating, poor eating routines, increased appetite and cardiometabolic side effects of some treatments. The Walker Unit team recognise that these complex eating behaviours may require management from different and often creative angles which require the skillset of a multidisciplinary team.