Eating Disorders and Young Adults

The most challenging part of our 14th Annual Education Conference on Saturday, April 12 is choosing which of the six workshops to attend in the afternoon. With the theme Young Adults and Mental Illness: Voice for Hope, each of the workshops will address a different issue affecting young adults, known as the Millennial Generation.

We've reviewed three workshops, Treatment in the Millennial Age, How Young Adults Can Afford the Affordable Care Act and Exploring Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation. Today we are highlighting a workshop that will address eating disorders among Millennials.

 

Eating Disorders and Young Adults: What You Need to Know

 

Eating disorders are serious mental illnesses that disproportionately affect adolescents and young adults, causing potentially devastating health consequences. This presentation will reivew the diagnostic criteria, onset and course for anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder. Theories of causation including genetic, familial and personality factors, as well as cultural influences such as technology and media, will be discussed. Medical complications, the importance of medical monitoring and intervention will be explained. A review of empirically supported treatment interventions will be presented, with an emphasis on the family in treatment and recovery.

Presenter: Liz McCabe, PhD, Clinical Administrator for Eating Disorders and Behavioral Medicine, and Director of Social Work at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic of UPMC Presbyterian Shadyside.

Which Workshop To Choose?

The hardest part of our annual conference is choosing one of the six interesting workshops offered in the afternoon portion of the day. This year's topics offer broad appeal with subjects such as "Ask the Doctor," good nutrition and addiction. But it also appeals to more specific interests such as new treatments for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, suicidal behavior in adolescents and the workshop on eating disorders highlighted below. Over the next week, we will highlight the five other workshops on our blog.

Workshop #1
Understanding Eating Disorders as Serious Mental Illnesses

Eating disorders are serious mental illnesses that affect people from all cultures and socioeconomic classes, with consequences that can be devastating to individuals and their families. Eating disorders are difficult to treat and are associated with significant co-occurring mental and physical illnesses, high relapse rates and death. This presentation will review the diagnostic criteria for anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and eating disorders not otherwise specified. Theories of causation including genetic, familial, personality and cultural influences will be discussed. Medical complications and the importance of medical monitoring and intervention will be explained. A review of empirically supported treatment interventions will be presented, with a special emphasis on the role of family in treatment and recovery from an eating disorder.

Presenter: Liz McCabe, PhD, Clinical Administrator for Eating Disorders and Behavioral Medicine and Director of Social Work at UPMC Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic.

For more information on the NAMI Southwestern Pennsylvania annual conference or to register, click here.

NIMH Science Update: Most Teens With Eating Disorders Go Without Treatment

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A National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) funded study recently reported that about three percent of U.S. adolescents are affected by an eating disorder, but many go without treatment.

For more information about eating disorders, visit the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) website, and check out informational articles about eating disorders (such as Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa and Binge Eating Disorder) and their treatment and recovery at Helpguide.

Keep up with mental health news- visit NAMI Southwestern Pennsylvania's website, Facebook page, follow us on Twitter and subscribe to our blog's RSS feed!


Contributed by Lora M. Dziemiela, Program Secretary

Selective or Picky?

Researchers are currently investigating the psychological difference between selective eating (choosing to avoid certain foods for health, cultural or religious reasons) and picky eating (when foods are avoided because of texture, aroma or other unknown reasons).

Interested? Check out this interesting WDUQ article about the Finicky Eating in Adults Study, a result of the efforts of University of Pittsburgh and Duke University researchers that are seeking to better understand picky eating and its causes. For more information on eating disorders, be sure to explore NAMI's Fact Sheets on Eating Disorders and the NAMI Southwestern Pennsylvania website.