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Our Next Lecture

PTSD and Eating Disorders

Karen Mitchell, PhD

Wednesday, January 19 at 2:00pm ET 

About the Presenter

KAREN MITCHELL, PhD is a Clinical Research Psychologist in the Women’s Health Sciences Division of the National Center for PTSD at VA Boston Healthcare System and an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Boston University School of Medicine.  Her research interests include eating disorders, obesity, behavior genetics, PTSD, and complementary and alternative medicine (particularly yoga).  Methodologies used include twin modeling, network science, epigenetic mechanisms, hierarchical linear modeling, and structural equation modeling.  Her current projects investigating eating disorders among male and female veterans are funded by the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense. As a licensed clinical psychologist, Dr. Mitchell’s clinical interests include eating disorders, PTSD, and health psychology, including obesity and metabolic disorders.

About the Topic

There is evidence that eating disorders are prevalent among male and female veterans; however, they remain relatively understudied in this population.  Of further relevance to veterans, individuals with eating disorders have high rates of comorbid posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).  Military-specific traumas, including military sexual trauma and combat, as well as the military’s strict weight and fitness requirements, may make Veterans particularly vulnerable to eating disorders.  This presentation will review current findings on eating disorders and PTSD in Veterans with a focus on assessment and treatment implications.

Featured Article

For Providers and Community Leaders: Helping People Manage Stress Associated with COVID-19

Health care providers, community and religious leaders, and government officials all have a role to play in helping people cope effectively and manage their stress in the current climate of concerns about COVID-19 transmission.  There are five key principles to follow when providing help in situations like the COVID-19 outbreak. Keep in mind that there is room for significant local variation and innovation in ways of embodying these principles in care efforts. 

Review the Five Key Principles

Explore all of the COVID-19 resources from the National Center for PTSD

Including:

• Information for patients and the public about managing stress
• Resources for helping healthcare workers
• Guidance about adapting PTSD treatment
• Tips about increasing comfort with wearing masks

Free Resources

A Way for Your Patients to Hear from Other Veterans

The new Military Sexual Trauma (MST) page in the AboutFace video gallery includes a collection of clips from Veterans talking in their own words about their experience of MST.  You can use these video clips for patient education, to improve your own understanding of MST, and to help interns learn directly from Veterans.   The page includes brief clips that describe MST, how it can affect the survivor's life, what it feels like to talk about their experiences, and how healing is possible.  In addition to a variety of brief clips (about a minute or less each), there are two 6-minute stories from Veterans who share how treatment has made a positive change in their lives.

COVID Coach Mobile App

Free and designed for everyone to help support self-care and overall mental health during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic

Features include:

• Education about coping during the pandemic
• Tools for self-care and to improve emotional well-being
• Trackers to check your mood and measure your growth toward personal goals
• Graphs to visualize progress over time

Download COVID Coach

Are you treating U.S. Veterans?

Our team of expert clinicians is available to consult with any healthcare provider treating U.S. veterans in any setting.   We can discuss assessment, diagnosis, psychotherapy, medications, collaborating with VA care, patient and family education, continuing education, and just about anything else related to veterans and PTSD.  No question is too big or too small. Contact us at PTSDconsult@va.gov or 866-948-7880.