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Science News About Eating Disorders

Kristina Saffran sitting on a chair smiling.
Life Beyond Anorexia Nervosa

75th Anniversary

An in-depth look at Kristina Saffran's journey with Anorexia Nervosa.

Emergency department sign at a hospital
Youth Emergency Department Visits for Mental Health Increased During Pandemic

Hospital visits for urgent mental health care increased among children and teens in the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an NIMH-supported study.

Hands resting on the front of a laptop computer keyboard.
Chatbot Encourages People With Eating Disorders to Seek Care

In a new NIMH-funded study, Ellen Fitzsimmons-Craft, Ph.D., an associate professor of psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine, and colleagues developed a chatbot to encourage people with eating disorders to connect with care.

A teen (in background) pushes away a plate with broccoli on it (in foreground).
Adult “Picky Eaters” Recall Helpful Parent Feeding Strategies

Researchers asked a group of self-identified adult “picky eaters” to reflect on their parents’ feeding strategies to better understand which strategies were helpful and which weren’t.

a teen girl sits with her elbows propped, resting her chin on her folded hands.
Eating Disorder Behaviors Alter Reward Response in the Brain

A new NIMH-supported study found that eating disorder behaviors alter the brain’s reward response process and food intake control circuitry, which can reinforce the behaviors.

artistic illustration of a molecular structure
Genetic Variations Highlight the Importance of Metabolic Processes in Anorexia

The need to identify effective targets for intervention in anorexia nervosa is pressing, as patient outcomes are often poor. An NIMH-funded genome-wide association study suggests that metabolic processes may play an important role in the disorder, offering a promising new avenue for investigation.

Using Technology to Help Predict Binge and Purge Episodes in People with Eating Disorders
Using Technology to Help Predict Binge and Purge Episodes in People with Eating Disorders

In binge-eating disorder and bulimia nervosa, people experience recurrent and frequent episodes in which they eat unusually large amounts of food and feel a sense of loss of control.

NIMH Twitter Chat
NIMH Twitter Chat on Binge Eating Disorder

Twitter Chat on Binge Eating Disorder

NIMH Twitter Chat
NIMH Twitter Chat on Eating Disorders

NIMH Twitter Chat on Eating Disorders