Learning Objectives:
At the conclusion of this activity, learners should be able to:
- Analyze the neurobiological and psychological mechanisms underlying eating disorder development and maintenance, including reinforcement processes, cognitive rigidity, and the effects of malnutrition on brain function.
- Evaluate diagnostic complexity and differentiate nuanced presentations of eating disorders, including atypical anorexia nervosa, ARFID, and OSFED, while identifying common diagnostic pitfalls and sources of misclassification.
- Apply advanced clinical assessment strategies that account for minimization, ego-syntonic symptom presentation, and the limitations of standard screening tools in detecting eating disorders.
- Integrate multidisciplinary, evidence-based treatment approaches while navigating clinical paradoxes such as increased distress during weight restoration and fluctuating patient motivation.
- Assess ethical and clinical decision-making challenges in eating disorder care, including autonomy, capacity, weight bias, and appropriate level-of-care determination.
Description:
This advanced educational activity examines eating disorders through a psychopathology-focused lens, emphasizing underlying mechanisms, diagnostic complexity, and real-world clinical challenges. Participants will explore the neurobiological, psychological, and sociocultural processes that drive the development and maintenance of eating disorders, including reinforcement pathways, cognitive distortions, and the impact of malnutrition on brain function. The session highlights diagnostic ambiguity across presentations such as atypical anorexia nervosa, ARFID, and OSFED, with a focus on common pitfalls and missed diagnoses. Learners will engage with the complexities of assessment, including patient minimization, ego-syntonic symptoms, and limitations of traditional screening tools. Evidence-based treatment approaches are discussed within the context of clinical paradoxes, multidisciplinary decision-making, and ethical tensions, with emphasis on weight-inclusive, trauma-informed care.
Disclosures:
Erin Knopf is a co-founder and chief medical officer of VERY Health. She does not have any financial relationships with ineligible companies in the last 24 months.
