FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CONTACT:
Academy for Eating Disorders
Elissa Myers
(703) 626-9087
ICED Sociocultural Plenary to address eating disorders in the LGBTQ+ community (plenary co-chairs: Kelly Bhatnagar, Ph.D., FAED and Erin C. Accurso, Ph.D.)
News — Reston, VA, March 4, 2019 - Current research indicates that certain LGBTQ+ subgroups are disproportionately vulnerable to body dissatisfaction and eating disorder psychopathology; however, relatively little research has focused on eating disorders in LGBTQ+ individuals. The relationship among sexuality, gender identity, body image, and eating disorders is still being studied, but evidence suggests that stressors faced by LGBTQ+ individuals may increase the risk of developing an eating disorder. Further, LGBTQ+ individuals may experience additional barriers to seeking and participating in treatment after being diagnosed. The sociocultural plenary at the 2019 International Conference on Eating Disorders (ICED) strives to explore the unique factors affecting disordered eating behaviors, body image, and eating disorders in LGBTQ+ individuals in the hopes that best practice clinical guidelines can soon be established.
The plenary will open with a presentation by Dr. Mark Hatzenbuehler, co-director of the Center for the Study of Social Inequalities and Health at Columbia University. Dr. Hatzenbuehler will discuss the impact of structural and social inequality on the general mental health of sexual minorities, transgender, and gender-non-binary individuals. Dr. Jerel Calzo (Associate Professor in the Division of Health Promotion and Behavioral Science at San Diego State University) will then present on the relationship between sexual orientation and eating disorder psychopathology in youth. Dr. Jon Arcelus (Professor in Mental Health & Transgender Health and Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences in the School of Medicine at the University of Nottingham) will next discuss the relationship between gender identity and body image in transgender and gender-non-binary individuals. The plenary will conclude with remarks by discussant Dr. Rachel Levine, Acting Secretary of Health and Physician General for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and Professor of Pediatrics and Psychiatry at the Penn State College of Medicine. Dr. Levine will reflect on the key points from the presentations and express viewpoints on future directions for research and practice to ensure the needs of the LGBTQ+ community are being met when faced with eating disorders.
ICED 2019 will be hosted by the Academy of Eating Disorders (AED), March 14-16, 2019 in New York, New York. More information about the ICED 2019 program is accessible on the AED website ().
ABOUT
The Academy for Eating Disorders (AED) is an international professional association committed to the leadership in eating disorders research, education, treatment, and prevention. The goal of the AED is to provide global access to knowledge, research, and best treatment practice for eating disorders. For additional information, please contact Elissa Myers at (703) 626-9087 and visit the AED website at .
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