Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine have put out a call for local families that have a child between the ages of 12 and 18 suffering from anorexia and are willing to be part of a 16-week study. The study will compare two types of family therapy.

"One will teach families 're-feeding.' It will include a session where a counselor observes a family meal to determine how its dynamics have changed and how effective parents can be at encouraging their children to eat adequate amounts of food."

The second method will focus more on family counseling and dealing with adolescent issues that may trigger eating disorders. The study is being funded by the National Institute of Mental Health and will take place at six locations across the United States. Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Labels: family, research, study

The 2008 International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals Symposium (iaedp ™) is set to meet April 3-6 at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla. Over 400 eating disorder-related clinicians and professionals are expected to attend.

"Miss America 2008 Kirsten Haglund will speak on Thursday at the iaedp™ Awards Banquet and Opening General Session about her experience and recovery from anorexia, as a young teen, which is the catalyst for her platform on eating disorder awareness."

The iaedp ™ was established in 1985 and offers a wide array of educational and training opportunities for health care professionals who work with eating disorders.Read more online at www.prnewswire.com.

Labels: awareness, recovery, research

A study conducted by the University of Pittsburgh has found that people with a history of anorexia have vastly different brain activity than those who never suffered from the disorder. The results appear in the American Journal of Psychiatry, and the study's authors hope the findings will help in the development of more effective treatments.

"While the brain region for emotional responses - the anterior ventral striatum - showed strong differences... in the healthy women, women with a past history of anorexia showed little difference."

In addition, the part of the brain that's associated with outcome and planning was much more active in women who'd had anorexia. An eating disorder association spokeswoman said this study shows that eating disorders are much more than just a 'silly diet gone wrong.'

The Aspen Institute of Behavioral Assessment can help parents and professionals figure out a troubled teen by conducting a thorough assessment and then creating a clear treatment plan.

Labels: brain_chemistry, research, treatment

When someone can't control a craving for alcohol or drugs, it's called "addiction". Could these same physiological forces be at work in someone who has uncontrollable food cravings? Some scientists are beginning to wonder.

"'Are there certain things in food that act on the brain and set up a classic addictive process, like tolerance, withdrawal and craving?', asks psychologist Kelly Brownell, who organized a recent scientific meeting on food addiction at Yale University. While the research is still scanty, the evidence that exists 'is extremely interesting and provocative, and suggests to me that something is there,' Brownell says."

Though there is still much research to be done, scientists are unsure what to do if they find evidence for food addictions. Someone who's addicted to drugs or alcohol simply stops consuming them, but someone who's addicted to food can't simply stop eating. Read more at WashingtonPost.com.

Teenage drug addiction is a serious matter facing many families. Visit DrugRehabTreatment.com to learn more.

Labels: addiction, brain_chemistry, research

A recent study by Harvard Medical school found a higher than expected prevalence of binge eating disorders among Latinos. The study consisted of over 2,500 people - 1,127 males and 1,447 females.

"'This was the first really national study of this issue,' [Margarita Alegria] said. 'And while we thought the rates would be what we found for anorexia, we didn't expect binge eating to be so high and the access to treatment so low.'"

Alegria, the principal investigator in the study, said binge eating may be partially attributed to the Latino lifestyle. The study also found that the prevalence of eating disorders increased the longer someone has been living in the United States. Read more at TheCrimson.com.

Residential boarding schools can offer a structured environment that can benefit many teenagers. Find one at BoardingSchoolsInfo.com.

Labels: research, study, treatment

Buddhist "mindfulness" is a technique of developing a healthy acceptance of oneself and an awareness of one's response to emotions. It's a technique extolled by - among others - the Dalai Lama and that is being studied by Australian researchers as a possible treatment for eating disorders.

"[Michelle] Hanisch and [Angela] Morgan provided mindfulness therapy to 30 women suffering from bulimia, aged from 19 to early 60s, two hours a week for eight weeks... Morgan reveals that the women who went through the program showed 'clinically significant' progress and had made further improvement a month later."

The two researchers will present their findings at the World Congress of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies in Barcelona, Spain in July. Read more at News.com.au.

Students at Mount Bachelor Academy also practice mindfulness therapy as a tool for emotional growth and development of the critical thinking skills necessary to make appropriate choices. Visit www.mtba.com to learn more about their emotional growth boarding school program.

Labels: research, therapy, treatment

A study released today shows that eating disorders among Australians have increased from two percent ten years ago to almost five perfect today. Though extreme disorders like anorexia remained fairly stable, there was a sharp rise in so-called "minor" eating disorders.

"The study showed the number of people with regular eating disordered behavior - those who binged or displayed other extreme weight control problems at least weekly - had ballooned from 4.7 percent to 11 percent. And the people considered to have a full-blown eating disorder grew from two percent to 4.6 percent over the decade."

Unspecified eating disorders like fasting, purging and the use of laxatives were of special concern. Read more at News.com.au.

Labels: causes of eating disorders, diagnosis, research

In 1979, Aimee Liu wrote Solitaire, her memoir of her struggles with anorexia nervosa. Now, almost thirty years later, she's penned a new book called Gaining: The Truth About Life After Eating Disorders. In it, Liu talks about her own mid-life relapse, and shares the results of ground-breaking scientific research.

"Liu dispels the notion that eating disorders are caused by parents or strictly environmental circumstances. She quotes research isolating susceptibility genes for restricting anorexia…and bulimia..."

Liu also shares the stories of other eating disorder suffers, dispelling the often-held belief that eating disorders are only found in rich, young, Caucasian girls. Read more online.

Labels: recovery, research, support

A ten-year long study funded by the National Institute of Health has found that some people may be genetically predisposed to anorexia nervosa. The study found that someone who had a family member who struggled with anorexia was 12 times more at risk of developing the illness.

"'Genetics loads the gun. Environment pulls the trigger,' said [Craig] Johnson, the director of the eating disorders unit at Laureate Psychiatric Hospital in Tulsa..."

The study's authors acknowledge that genetics doesn't guarantee that someone will develop anorexia, but that it could make a person more sensitive to the environmental conditions which often trigger the illness. Read more online.

Labels: anorexia, genes, research

The fashion industry has thrust eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia into the media spotlight. But a recent study by Harvard University-affiliated McLean Hospital has found that binge eating is more widespread and should be considered a "major public health burden".

"'Everybody knows about anorexia and bulimia, however, binge eating disorder affects more people, is often associated with severe obesity, and tends to persist longer,' said study lead author James Hudson."

The study was conducted for two years, and included more than 9,000 people. Of those 9,000, 3.5 percent of women and 2 percent of men admitted to having frequent uncontrolled eating binges, compared with 2.5 percent of women and 0.8 percent of men who reported struggling with anorexia or bulimia. Read more online.

Labels: binge eating, research