Biology Plenary
A Gut Feeling: The Role of Gastrointestinal Disturbances in Eating Disorders from Bench to Bedside
Co-Chairs: K. Jean Forney & Tiffany Brown (organized by Lindsay Bodell & Suzanne Baker)
Presenters & Talk Titles
Prof. Dr. Daniel Keszthelyi
Maastricht University Medical Center, Netherlands
GI disturbances and their associations with eating disorders
Diana Williams, PhD
Department of Psychology, Florida State University
Gut-regulation of feeding and applications to eating disorders
Nancy Zucker, PhD
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University
Do individuals with eating disorders have altered gastrointestinal interoception?
Dr. Alastair McKinlay
Consultant Gastroenterologist, NHS Grampian, Scotland
Discussant
Abstract: Gastrointestinal symptoms and problems, including irritable bowel syndrome, functional dyspepsia, post-prandial fullness, reflux, abdominal pain, and constipation are prevalent in individuals with eating disorders (Murray et al., 2020). Moreover, these issues are associated with significant distress and impairment and may contribute to difficulties engaging in eating disorder treatments and increase risk for relapse (Wildes et al., 2021). Although such symptoms have largely been conceptualized as consequences of eating disorders, there has been recent interest in understanding the roles of gastrointestinal disturbances in both the development and maintenance of eating disorders (Frank, Golden, Murray, 2021). Moreover, given the complex nature and severity of cases with comorbid eating and gastrointestinal disorders, collaboration between eating disorder and GI specialists is critical. This plenary aims to present various perspectives and research on the links between gastrointestinal disturbances and eating disorders across the spectrum of eating pathology.
Learning Objectives:
- Describe the co-occurrence of eating disorders and gastrointestinal disturbances.
- Describe basic research on gut-regulation of eating (and overeating) and discuss how gut-related processes may impact eating pathology.
- Describe recent findings on the role of gastrointestinal interoception in eating disorders and discuss how these processes could be used to inform treatment.
- Discuss the benefits of collaborations between clinicians and researchers in the fields of eating disorders and gastroenterology
Sociocultural Plenary
Distal Sociocultural Factors in Eating Disorder Research and Practice: Invisible Determinants of Care
Co-Chairs: Rachel Presskreischer, MSSW, PhD; Shiri Sadeh-Sharvit, PhD; Abby Sarrett-Cooper, MA, LPC, CEDS
Presenters & Talk Titles
Hans Hoek, MD, PhD, FAED
Parnassia Psychiatric Institute, The Hague
To be or not to be counted
Andrea Graham, PhD
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Implementation Science: What Gets Scaled and Why
Dr. Dasha Nicholls
Reader in Child Psychiatry, Imperial College, London
Public and Private Sector Care Rationing: Who gets care and when
Harry Brandt, MD
Regional Medical Director, ERC/Pathlight; Chief of Psychiatry, University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center
Discussant
Abstract:
Historically the sociocultural plenary has focused on social and cultural factors that impact individuals’ development or maintenance of an eating disorder. However, individuals are situated within social and cultural contexts that have specific structural elements which determine 1) how eating disorders are identified and quantified at a population level, 2) why and how specific evidence-based interventions are translated into practice and scaled, and 3) how public or private care rationing determine who can get what type of treatment. The goal of this plenary is to highlight how these societal-level factors impact individuals with eating disorders and how providers practice.
Learning Objectives:
1. Understand how governments and researchers measure and track population-level incidence and prevalence of eating disorders.
2. Identify the ways that social contextual factors affect translation of evidence-based interventions and research into practice, and how care rationing affects who gets access to which treatments.
3. Consider ways that societal-level factors impact the provision of clinical care and influence the distribution of unmet need.
Treatment Plenary
Together or Apart? Considering How and When to Address Mental Health Comorbidities in the Psychological Treatment of Eating Disorders
Co-Chairs: Alexandra Dingemans & Jason Lavender (co-organized by Hala Abu Taha)
Presenters & Talk Titles
Karen Mitchell, PhD
Clinical Research Psychologist and Associate Professor, VA Boston Healthcare System and Boston University School of Medicine
Cause, Consequence, or Commonality? An Overview of Treatment Implications for Conceptualizing Comorbid Mental Health Concerns in Eating Disorders
Zafra Cooper, DPhil, DipClinPsych
Setting the Stage: Treating the Eating Disorder as the Primary Target
Kathryn Trottier, PhD CPsych
When Co-occuring Disorders Maintain Eating Disorders: Facilitating Full Recovery Through Integrated Treatment Approaches
Kelsie Forbush, PhD, FAED
Professor of Clinical Child Psychology and Clinical Science, University of Kansas
Discussant
Abstract: Mental health comorbidities are common among patients with eating disorders, including depression, anxiety, trauma, and others. In addition to the high prevalence of these co-occurring conditions, their presence may be associated with worse health outcomes in several domains. These comorbid clinical presentations can necessitate greater intensity and/or complexity in clinical management, which may lead to increased health care costs. Generally speaking, conceptual approaches for treating eating disorders in the context of a mental health comorbidity may involve: Treatment addressing the eating disorder first, understanding that mental health comorbidities may improve/resolve as a result, or that such comorbidities may be targeted once the patient’s ED symptoms are reduced/stabilized; or integrating treatment of the eating disorder and comorbidity simultaneously, to address the potential influence of symptoms from each conditions maintaining both disorders. This plenary seeks to explore these differing schools of thought and to address how they impact clinical practice and the development of evidence-based approaches for this issue.
Learning Objectives:
- Identify the ways mental health comorbidities have been considered in relation to eating disorders.
- Describe the rationale and approach for treating eating disorders and comorbid mental health concerns in a staggered model.
- Review the rationale and approach for integrated, simultaneous treatment of eating disorders and comorbid mental health concerns
Wildcard Plenary
Climate change and global warming: Implications for eating disorder research and practice
Co-Chairs: Florencia Duthu & Andrea K. Graham, PhD
Presenters & Talk Titles
Susan Paxton, PhD
Co-Chair of AED Climate Change Task Force; La Trobe University, Australia
Why AED is Focused on Climate Change: A Review of the AED Climate Change Task Force Report
Paolo Cianconi, MD, PhD
Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy
The Impact of Climate Change on Mental Health
Dana Hunnes, PhD, MPH, RD
Clinical Inpatient Dietitian, RR-UCLA Medical Center
Climate Change and the Impact on Food Choices
Rachel Rodgers, PhD
Co-Chair of AED Climate Change Task Force; Northeastern University, USA
Discussant
Abstract: Climate change is one of the great challenges of our time. The consequences of climate change on exposed biological subjects, as well as on vulnerable societies, are a concern for the entire scientific community. Rising temperatures, heat waves, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, droughts, fires, loss of forest, and glaciers, along with disappearance of rivers and desertification, can directly and indirectly cause human pathologies that are physical and mental. The purpose of this plenary is to discuss the pressing concern of climate change and its impact on mental health including eating disorders. This plenary also will discuss the AED’s commitment both to reduce the environmental impact resulting from its various activities as well as to advance the understanding of how these changes are impacting eating disorders. Climate change is an urgent social justice issue, and as a large and global professional organization the AED’s continued commitment to these issues is essential.
Learning Objectives
The goals of this plenary are to:
- To provide an understanding of the effect of climate change and global warming on mental health including eating disorders.
- To discuss the relationship between climate change and food choices, and the implications for people with eating disorders.
- To describe what the AED and its membership are already and can be doing going forward to address climate change and its impact on eating disorders
30th Anniversary Plenary
“Big Ideas in Eating Disorders,” specifically the Big Idea of the establishment of AED
Kathy Pike PhD, Professor of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
Craig Johnson, PhD, CEDS, FAED; Founding Member of AED
Jenny Thomas, Ph.D, FAED, Current AED President
Eva Trujillo MD, CEDS, FAED, FAAP, FIAEDP; AED Past President, 2016-2017
Glenn Waller, DPhil, FAED; AED Past President, 2014-2015
Ruth Weissman, PhD, FAED; AED Past President, 1995 1996
2023 is the 30th anniversary of AED, providing an extraordinary opportunity to capture the central history of AED and its role in shaping our field. Dr. Pike will interview former AED presidents on stage using the organizing framework of “Big Ideas in Eating Disorders.” AED presidents will each share their views and experiences of a key big idea related to their tenure as president, and they will collectively discuss the “big idea” of establishing AED, followed by a question and answer with the audience.Dr. Pike also created this video, highlighting the perspective of AED's past presidents.