For Immediate Release
August 28, 2006
National Eating Disorders Association Conference Hits the Nation’s Capital
Themed ‘It Takes A Team,’ Focusing on the Collaboration of Families, Health Care Professionals & Government
Olympic Gymnast Cathy Rigby, Keynote Speaker
Sept. 14-16, Bethesda, Md.
For More Information & Reservations, Visit www.NationalEatingDisorders.org
SEATTLE – August 28, 2006 – The National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) announces its 2006 national conference, It Takes a Team, Sept. 14-16 in Bethesda, Md., at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center.
Keynote speakers include Cathy Rigby, 1968 Olympic gymnast, actress and eating disorder survivor; Thomas R. Insel, M.D., director of the National Institute for Mental Health (NIMH); and S. Anthony McCann, Maryland Secretary of Health & Mental Hygiene.
More than 50 speakers are scheduled for a variety of sessions and include a pre-eminent list of leading physicians, psychotherapists, clinicians, nutritionists and other experts in the field of eating disorders.
Some of this year’s featured workshops, open to all attendees, include “Negotiating with Insurance to Pay for Treatment,” “Self-Injury and Eating Disorders,” “Managing the Athlete with an Eating Disorder,” “Eating Disorders in Mid-Life,” “Building Body Image Resilience in Adolescent Girls,” “Launching an Effective, School-Wide Eating Disorders Prevention Program,” and “The Internet: Friend or Foe?” Special information for fathers, siblings and spouses will be made available. Please see attached conference schedule or visit www.NationalEatingDisorders.org for a full itinerary of speakers and subjects.
Commented Lynn Grefe, CEO of NEDA, “While the personal commitment of anyone suffering from an eating disorder is key to recovery, we have found that a partnership between treatment professionals and the families of those affected in supporting their effort is the most effective way and successful route to a healthy life. It also takes the support of local and national governmental agencies and legislative bodies to change our laws regarding health care, enabling families to get the help they need, help that is not always currently available to those who need it most. The 2007 NEDA conference focuses on the dynamics of creating and/or strengthening those dynamics and relationships.”
Did you know...
- As many as 10 million females and 1 million males in the U.S. are battling eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia, while millions more suffer from binge eating disorder.
- The peak onset of eating disorders occurs during puberty and the late teen/early adult years, but symptoms can occur as young as kindergarten.
- More than one in three “normal dieters” progresses to pathological dieting.
- Eating disorders affect people from all walks of life, including young children, middle-aged women and men and individuals of all races and ethnicities.
- Long-term physical health implications of eating disorders include heart failure, kidney damage, esophagus, colon and intestinal problems, osteoporosis, tooth decay and hair loss.
- Anorexia nervosa has the highest mortality rate of any mental illness.
- Although eating disorders are potentially lethal, they are treatable.
The National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), headquartered in Seattle, Wash., is the largest not-for-profit organization in the country dedicated to supporting research for the prevention, treatment and cure of eating disorders; supporting state legislative and advocacy efforts for access to treatment; expanding public education and awareness of eating disorders; promoting access and providing referrals to quality treatment for those affected; providing support for their loved ones. Since the inception of its Helpline in 1999, NEDA has referred more than 50,000 people to treatment and tallies more than 40 million hits annually on its Web site.
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For treatment referrals, visit www.NationalEatingDisorders.org
Or contact NEDA’s live Helpline: 800-931-2237
Monday - Friday: 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. (PST)
Contacts:
Greenleaf & Associates – 323-660-5800
Vicki Greenleaf @ vgleaf@pacbell.net
Karen Brundage @ karenbru@pacbell.net
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