A handful of photos left Tim fighting a deadly disorder but when he asked for help, he was turned away

A handful of photos sparked Tim Conway's decade-long struggle with the most lethal psychiatric disorder on the planet.

They were taken on his 21st birthday and should've been mementos from a great night out with mates. Instead, they became the foundation for his anorexia and bulimia.

More than one third of Australians living with an eating disorder are male and the prevalence of anorexia nervosa in men has more than doubled in the past 12 years, according to Butterfly Foundation.

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Despite the figures, millions of Aussies mistakenly believe eating disorders only affect women and girls and it's leaving boys and men to suffer in silence.

"This longstanding stigma and lack of understanding means men often suffer in silence, with men four times more likely to live with an undiagnosed eating disorder," Helen Bird, Education Services Manager at Butterfly, tells 9honey.

For more than a year, Tim was one of those men.

It began with a few jabs from his mates about his weight, then he got the photos back from his 21st birthday and didn't like what he saw.

"That's when the eating disorder started," he tells 9honey, "and it just spiralled from there."

Having been diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) as a child, it didn't take long for Tim to develop an obsessive focus on his body and food.

Soon he was engaging in harmful restricting and purging behaviours consistent with anorexia, the most deadly psychiatric disorder, and bulimia nervosa.

Mum Helen Conway noticed Tim was losing weight and mistakenly assumed it was a healthy change.

"I was always anxious about my kids eating healthily so when he started to lose weight I thought, 'He's just realising he needs to be healthier,'" she tells 9honey.

Even Tim didn't realise he was in trouble at first because he only associated eating disorders with women.

As Tim's weight dropped, Helen grew concerned and eventually Tim confessed he was struggling and needed professional help.

His parents helped him find an inpatient treatment facility where they hoped Tim would get the support he needed to recover.

But this was the early 2010s and the clinic struggled to support its first-ever male patient through eating disorder treatment, leaving Tim in an even worse state.

"To be honest, it was just a shocking experience," he says.

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After leaving the facility, Tim moved abroad to the UK and his struggle continued.

When he reached out to a hospital in London for support, he was turned away because it didn't have the resources to support men.

By the time he packed his bags to return to Australia, Tim felt utterly helpless.

"It grips your life so intensely," he says, "But no one wants to stay in the constant battle and the mind games of an eating disorder, it doesn't matter which type."

It was only by chance that he was seated next to a man with a background in eating disorder treatment on his flight home.

They got talking and the stranger directed Tim to an eating disorder treatment facility in Sydney where he was finally able to access support and start the journey to recovery.

Now 33, Tim has been in recovery for almost five years but still carries the physical and mental scars from his eating disorders and knows recovery will be a lifelong journey.

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Though talking about the years he spent in the grips of anorexia and bulimia can be retraumatising, Tim wants to give a voice to the thousands of Aussie boys and men suffering in silence.

"It needs to be taken seriously," he says, "This isn't just a female thing and you don't need to look a certain way to have an eating disorder."

Butterfly's new 'Spot Your Mate' campaign encourage Australians to talk to the males in their lives about eating disorders in response to the increasing number of boys and men struggling.

"In the same way that we've learnt to spot the signs of depression in men and start important conversations over the past ten years, now is the time to do the same for eating disorders and body image concerns," Bird says.

She urges Aussies to watch out for warning signs like rigid thinking around food, eating, and exercise, as well as dieting, fasting, and excessive exercise.

These signs can often be missed in young men who display extreme exercising and muscle growth because these behaviours are often celebrated or seen as healthy due to traditional ideals around masculinity.

Getting support early can help prevent an eating disorder or reduce its severity and duration, so don't sit back and wait if you see the signs in a boy or man in your life.

"You don't have to have all the answers but let them know you are there for them and offer to help them get the support they need. It could save a life."

Support is available from the Butterfly National Helpline on 1800 33 4673. You can also chat online or email

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