Evidence of meeting #13 for Status of Women in the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was patients.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Tilly O'Neill-Gordon Conservative Miramichi, NB
So they also receive some means of counselling as well.
Psychiatrist, Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Yes.
Conservative
Tilly O'Neill-Gordon Conservative Miramichi, NB
Terry kind of asked this question, but I noticed lately in a catalogue that there seemed to be a little more exposure or advertisements of bathing suits with more chunky people in them. I guess it sort of fell into my line of thinking; I thought it was good as well.
Psychiatrist, Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Do you mean there were more normal-sized models?
Psychiatrist, Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
I agree. I think that's excellent.
Conservative
Tilly O'Neill-Gordon Conservative Miramichi, NB
I just think that too is a means of.... The media always goes along with showing the perfect-sized, and we have to try to help them lose that and look at the “normal-sized”, I guess we'd call them.
Psychiatrist, Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
I think that's a huge point. The typical model and celebrity actress has a BMI between 16 and 17, and the average healthy BMI for young females is about 21.
Conservative
Tilly O'Neill-Gordon Conservative Miramichi, NB
Now, is there some attempt being made to make them change this unusual story that they give all the time in the media?
Psychiatrist, Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Are the media part of it? Yes. That's where prevention efforts really need to be targeted, at changing social....
“Weightism” is what it's called—in other words, the attitudes of our society about weight and about, as you said, what's perfect, what's beautiful. We don't want our daughters growing up aiming for an unhealthy BMI. We want to try to change that so that females are accepted at their normal sizes.
Having said that, those of us who work on eating disorder teams are completely overwhelmed by the number of referrals. I always feel like I'm drowning. I work many, many overtime hours, as do all of the people in the same field. We don't have any time to put into prevention efforts.
Conservative
Tilly O'Neill-Gordon Conservative Miramichi, NB
Yes.
There's one person I know...and she's doing very well. Is there any chance that any of this in later years will come against her and cause her another form of disorder?
Psychiatrist, Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
It definitely is an illness that can relapse, often in times of stress....
Do you know the rate of relapse? Is it about 30%?
Research Chair in Psychotherapy Research, University of Ottawa and the Ottawa Hospital, Canadian Psychological Association
About 30%, yes.
Conservative
Tilly O'Neill-Gordon Conservative Miramichi, NB
This lady herself is working in the psychiatric ward. I often think of her as having so much to offer from what she has gone through herself, but hate to ever think that she could take a step backwards to where she was.
NDP
Mylène Freeman NDP Argenteuil—Papineau—Mirabel, QC
Thank you, Madam Chair.
I'm not a regular member of this committee, so I have less information than the regular members, but I'm finding it very fascinating to listen to you speak today. I'm going to bounce off my colleagues who have already asked some questions, to maybe delve a little more and make sure we get a complete and accurate picture from all of you.
I don't know if you want to continue, Dr. Spettigue—am I saying that properly? At one point you were starting to talk about what it's like in high schools, basically the image that girls are trying to live up to, the media, normalizing attitudes, etc., around us. What else do you see there? What other milieux are having this? What can we do as legislators to empower our girls?
Psychiatrist, Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
That's an excellent question, and it certainly follows on the last one.
I would describe it as a toxic atmosphere, based on the descriptions that I hear from all the teenage girls that I treat, where they talk about groups of girls that don't eat lunch, that it's just not done, often there isn't even a place to eat lunch; of the comments that boys are making about the girls; and the huge focus on appearance and weight.
NDP
Mylène Freeman NDP Argenteuil—Papineau—Mirabel, QC
Wow. I'm not far enough removed from high school, I guess. I do sort of remember what it was like.
NDP
Mylène Freeman NDP Argenteuil—Papineau—Mirabel, QC
I know, everyone always laughs.
But, no, it's true, and it is a very toxic atmosphere. As a feminist, I don't think our girls should have to think about how they look in terms of standards that are not appropriate for themselves. I'm going to push you again, though. What is it that we can do?
Psychiatrist, Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Somebody who has an excellent answer to that question is Dr. Gail McVey. You may have already heard from her. She specializes in the prevention of eating disorders and is trying to change that environment in the school, but there are huge barriers. We need to change the curriculum so that the teachers aren't teaching about eating disorders by describing anorexia nervosa, which then causes girls to go, “Oh, that's a good idea”, which in fact the research shows that it does. We need to teach media literacy. We need to teach about self-esteem and self-care. We need to empower our girls. We need to change the attitudes of the males as well, the teenage boys, and maybe get them together and have them hear from each other. We need more research into all of that and into what is effective and what isn't, the type of research that Dr. Gail McVey specializes in. She's the only one in the entire country who's doing that.
NDP
Mylène Freeman NDP Argenteuil—Papineau—Mirabel, QC
Okay.
It's been very clear that there is a lack of information. How much do partners, or not partners but intervenants working across different fields, how do they work together and share knowledge? What gaps are there?
Psychiatrist, Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Ontario is probably a good role model for the other provinces, in terms of Gail McVey's work on the Ontario community outreach program for eating disorders, and how she has brought all of the eating disorder programs across the province together as a network. As part of that, our team is trying to lead an initiative to have a shared database amongst the pediatric Ontario eating disorder programs, although, again, we didn't get funding for it, but anyway....
But that's only in Ontario. I would strongly recommend that they use the same model, and apply it to the other provinces, although recognizing that the other provinces don't really have very many programs to get together.
The Chair NDP Hélène LeBlanc
Thank you very much.
I would like to remind you that Ms. Phoenix is testifying by videoconference. Try to remember to ask her a few questions, if you can.
Ms. Ambler, you have the floor for five minutes.