From Across the Desk

Diversity in eating disorders care. This is a very promising and rapidly growing trend—extending eating disorders care to groups often overlooked in the past. These individuals include middle-aged and older women, Black women and men, and LGBT individuals. Another group includes those with a comorbid diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. The keynote speakers at both the iaedp and the AED annual conferences added important information that greatly expands the longtime image of the anorexic adolescent or young woman as the official face of eating disorders.

Good news also comes from further studies of the studies of the brain, including invasive and noninvasive neurological tools that can help counter remission rates (see “The Brain: A New Avenue for Treatment of Difficult Cases?” elsewhere in this issue). Two very diverse subjects, recognizing disorders in rock-climbers and clear guidelines for ending treatment in anorexic patients, are also featured in this issue

Ketamine, an older product originally largely used in veterinary practice, has found a new use: treating refractory depression in eating disorder patients (see the Question and Answer article on “Ketamine” in this issue). Although studies are still underway, this agent is showing promise in selected patients.

Despite slowdowns due to the pandemic, research and progress in eating disorders go steadily forward. It’s a trend to be proud of.

—MKS