The mind-body dilemma: a model for understanding women's mental health

Body image dissatisfaction has been recognised as a key concern of Australian women, with longitudinal studies indicating that between 40% and 82% of women are unhappy with their body. Further, depression is the number one burden of disease among women and depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation represent a significant cost to both the individual and the community. Given the concurrently high rates of depression and body image disturbance in women, it is surprising that body image and disordered eating are not at the forefront of discussion regarding women's mental health.