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Transforming the understanding
and treatment of mental illnesses.

Livestream Event: Let’s Talk About Eating Disorders with NIMH Grantee Dr. Cynthia Bulik

Date

February 25, 2021

Location

Virtual

Overview

In recognition of National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) hosted a livestream event featuring NIMH grantee Cynthia Bulik, Ph.D., professor at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill’s School of Medicine and Founding Director of the UNC Center of Excellence for Eating Disorders.

Eating disorders are serious and often fatal illnesses associated with severe disturbances in people’s eating behaviors and related thoughts and emotions. Common eating disorders include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder. Dr. Bulik discussed signs, symptoms, treatments, and the latest research on eating disorders. In addition, she discussed some of the challenges that the coronavirus (COVID-19)  outbreak has presented for individuals living with eating disorders and other mental illnesses.

As founder and co-chair of the Eating Disorders Working Group of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC-ED), Dr. Bulik leads the global effort to identify actionable genomic variation in eating disorders. Dr. Bulik is also the Principal Investigator of the global Eating Disorders Genetics Initiative  (EDGI) funded by NIMH and is the largest genetic investigation of eating disorders of its kind. EDGI is a research study designed to understand how genes can influence the risk of developing an eating disorder.

Participating is easy.

  • Watch the livestream event on NIMH’s Facebook  or Twitter  feeds. You must have either a Facebook or Twitter account to watch.
  • Follow NIMH on Facebook or Twitter for updates on the livestream event and other information about mental health research.
  • Refresh NIMH’s Facebook or Twitter feeds at 12:30 p.m. ET on February 25 to watch the livestream discussion.

The livestream will be archived on NIMH’s website and Facebook  page so you can access it after the event is over.

Recording

Read transcript.

Note: The experts cannot provide specific medical advice or referrals. Please consult with a qualified health care provider for diagnosis, treatment, and answers to your personal questions. If you need help finding a provider, visit www.nimh.nih.gov/findhelp. If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline  at 1-800-273-TALK (8255); En Español 1-888-628-9454.