The Mirror was an instant hit on the road. Dr. Bulik explains that some people are a little wary when she first asks them to be in a picture with The Mirror. However, as soon as their hand grasps the golden handle, a transformation takes place. The Mirror seems to bring out the best in people. Explains Dr. Bulik, “I think she’s magic.” Some people show off their humorous side and others are more serious, showing a genuine reaction to what it feels like to look at your reflection. The Mirror Project started at Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill and McIntyre’s Books in Fearrington Village, and since that time Dr. Bulik has accumulated hundreds of photos that are being assembled into a mirror collage and website. You can see examples on the Woman in the Mirror Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Woman-in-the-Mirror/254766811248765). Next stop for The Mirror and Dr. Bulik is the College of Charleston in South Carolina.

The Mirror will be making her debut on UNC’s campus during NEDAwareness week (Feb 26-March 3) and at the screening of the documentary Miss Representation on Feb. 26^th (2:30-5:00pm, Carroll Hall Room 111 in the UNC School of Journalism and Mass Communication).  If you want in on the action, come to any of the NEDAW events and get your picture taken with The Mirror!

With his strong background in adolescent psychology and his considerable expertise in schema-based cognitive-behavioral therapy, TJ has worked tirelessly to provide evidence-based treatment to patients with eating disorders at UNC. His clinical work has spanned all levels of care, inpatient, partial hospitalization, and outpatient.

TJ loves to teach. He jumps at opportunities to conduct AHEC trainings and other community talks. His talks are always well received and highly praised. He is also a dedicated supervisor—on any given day, TJ will be providing clinical supervision to post-docs, interns, practicum students, and just about anyone who asks for consultation.

TJ has also served the field more broadly. His involvement with the Academy for Eating Disorders has included being a member of the Public Affairs Council, Co-Chair of the Membership and Recruitment Committee, member of the Finance Committee and Program Committee, Co-Chair of the Development Committee, and Conference Co-Chair for the annual conference in Salzburg, Austria.

We congratulate TJ on this significant accomplishment!

Rachel Finholt and Kate Cardoza, Social Workers with the Eating Disorders Program, have been instrumental in planning and preparing the launch of this new program. By securing a generous grant from the UNC Health Care Volunteer Association, the Program will be able to cover the cost of providing these monthly meals for both families and patients. This no-cost meal option for family members will allow families to participate in the program without added stress or financial burden during an already challenging time.

The Eating Disorders Program is excited to launch this program in January 2012, and we are especially grateful for the ongoing support of Volunteer Services that has made this program possible.  To learn more about the Multi-Family Meal Program, please contact Rachel Finholt or Kate Cardoza.

By: Sara Hofmeier

for launching yet another successful conference this year on:

 “Women’s Mental Health Across the Lifespan: Puberty, Pregnancy and Perimenopause”

With an interactive “Myth Busters” exercise, dynamic presentations, and influential speakers, the 7^th Annual UNC Eating Disorders and Women’s Mood Disorders Conference ended up being a HUGE success. Informative, yet engaging, leading UNC researchers and guest speakers delivered the “late-and-breaking” findings in women’s mental health, touching on sensitive periods throughout the lifespan—from puberty to pregnancy to perimenopause. With over 130 attendants, this was the largest conference to date, bringing together a highly passionate and dedicated group of treatment providers, advocates, friends, and family, who, in line with the theme of this conference, spanned the entire age spectrum.

Highlights from the eating disorders talks:

• Rebecka Peebles, M.D., guest speaker (pictured right), painted an encouraging picture for successful recovery and rapid response in pediatric eating disorders underscoring family involvement as an integral component to treatment, and dispelling the myth that “parents are to blame.” She reviewed early warning signs of eating pathology and discussed optimal prevention and intervention strategies for these youth.
• Stephanie Zerwas, Ph.D., UNC Faculty (pictured left), presented findings from the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study (MoBa) conducted by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health which follows > 72,000 women during and after pregnancy gathering detailed information on psychiatric health. Dr. Zerwas found that women with eating disorders are at increased risk for developing perinatal mood disorders, highlighting the need for increased support and physician monitoring of mood symptoms immediately after  these women give birth.
• Cynthia Bulik, Ph.D., UNC Faculty (pictured right), debunked the myth that women at midlife are protected from weight and shape concerns, presenting findings from the Gender and Body Image Across the Lifespan Study (GABI) that showed a high degree of body dissatisfaction and unhealthy weight control behaviors in women at midlife.  
• With Drs. Baucom and Kirby, Bulik also provided clinicians with guidelines for implementing UCAN (Uniting Couples in the Treatment of Anorexia Nervosa) in the clinical setting. This promising new treatment that shows low drop-out (much less so than other studies) enlists the support of partners in managing and helping their loved one recovery from an eating disorder, while also providing them the space to discuss and learn to cope with their own reactions and frustrations with this disease. A couple who successfully completed the program, shared their moving story with anorexia, crediting UCAN for “saving their marriage and saving their lives.” 

What did our attendees have to say about the conference?

“Excellent conference…strong pro-woman focus with emphasis on need for awareness and change of the current cultural status quo with respect to prevailing views of girls, women, body shape, weight & age.”

“Very interesting and important information for both researchers & clinicians!”

“Good information on studies that lead to evidence-based treatment.”

We hope to continue the tradition next year!!  Additional pictures from the November 5^th 2011 conference can be found here.

By: Cristin Runfola, Ph.D.

Accompanying the book is a new blog (http://womaninthemirrorblog.wordpress.com/), which provides a venue for women and men to share their personal “mirror” stories and reflect on those of others. In addition to mirror stories, the blog features mirrors in the news and mirrors in science. Jump on board today and share your reflections either by leaving a comment on the blog or by emailing womaninthemirrorbook@gmail.com.

by Sara Trace

Cynthia Bulik, PhD

Since our inception in 2003, Judy Mann has believed in our vision and mission. It is never easy forging new paths and the Eating Disorders Program always seems to want to try something that no one has ever tried before. Some administrators might just say, that’s never been done before, so forget about it. But not Judy. Every time we have come to her with a new challenge, obstacle, wild idea, or routine concern she has eagerly worked the problem and found a way to make the impossible happen. Judy has administrative responsibility for the entire Department of Psychiatry, but she always makes you feel like your concerns are front and center. She has the same uncanny talent that both Bill and Hillary Clinton have. When they speak to a room full of people, they make eye contact with everyone, and each person leaves feeling as if she or he has been spoken to directly and personally. What they do in world affairs, Judy does in administration. Without Judy’s intervention for the past 8 years, we simply would not be here. For her tireless dedication and generosity with her time and energy, we add Judy to the list of worthy recipients of the Order of the Chocolate Fish.

Sara Hofmeier

Perhaps it is the uncanny similarity between how Sara Hofmeier and Judy Mann approach their work that lead to this dual award. Like Judy, Sara never says something can’t be done. Sara finds a way and makes things happen. Equally effective in the research and clinical realms, Sara’s positive attitude and relentless problem solving keep us on track and organized, organized, organized. Always at the other end of an email, she can sniff out problems before they become problems and make them disappear before they are noticed by most. But there are lots of organized and efficient people in the world. Those two qualities alone are not sufficient for induction into the Order. What Sara enriches those qualities with is a passionate commitment to the welfare of all of our patients and their families, a determination for us always to be delivering the highest quality consistent care, and the ability to lead others in staying on task and excelling. Sara embodies our approach of “compassionate but firm” in all that she does. For these qualities together with her genuine warmth and delightful sense of humor, we welcome Sara to the Order of the Chocolate Fish.

The inductees will receive personal notification and their edible awards in December.

Meet Casey. She is a thirteen-year-old in a healthy weight range. Each afternoon when she gets home from school, she can’t wait to turn on the TV and open up a juicy teen magazine. In each of these, Casey sees the girls she aspires to be. She wants to be a singer, dancer, a model, and maybe one day an actress too! When Casey looks at the skinny models on her TV or in her magazine, she thinks there is no way she could ever be like them. She is not beautiful or skinny enough in her mind. She feels overweight.

Now imagine that both of these girls start a commercial weight loss program. Seems ridiculous, right? Unfortunately, this is not uncommon. Nowadays, many children and adolescents are joining commercial weight loss programs or using other dieting methods they have read about online. Is this safe for children?

As recently published in the US News and World Report, dieting in children is very risky and can lead to deficiencies in vitamins and nutrients, delayed puberty, amenorrhea, stunted growth, osteoporosis, weakened immune systems, lower self-esteem, and problems with concentration and academic performance. Many of these physical, emotional, and cognitive problems may be difficult to reverse.

Children’s bodies are constantly growing and changing up into their early adult years. Dieting or severely limiting foods, restricts the body’s ability to continue to grow and change. Instead of letting children start adult dieting programs that are not geared to their developmental needs, experts suggest adopting healthier eating and physical activity as a family. This whole-family approach is the best way to teach children and adolescents lifelong habits to stay healthy. By working toward healthy lifestyle change together, families can support one another in their healthful eating and activity goals and make sure to keep the focus on health and not on weight.

For more information on this topic, check out the following articles:

http://health.usnews.com/health-news/diet-fitness/diet/articles/2011/10/06/kids-who-diet-when-are-they-too-young

http://kidshealth.org/kid/stay_healthy/food/diet.html

By: Michelle Bates

This topic is making headlines again as Norway’s Equality Minster has called for a ban on altered images of models. He is calling for advertisers to place “warning labels” on advertisements and billboards that show retouched images of models. It is the responsibility of the Equality Minister to address all forms of discrimination, children’s affairs, and integration issues. It was noted the disclaimer would read, “This advertisement has been altered and presents an inaccurate image of how this model really looks.” The Minister believes that such warning labels would reduce the pressure the beauty ideal places on young women.

In July of this year, two campaign ads were banned in the United Kingdom due to over-alterations of the models. After complaints were lodged with the Advertising Standards Authority, it was ruled that both ads breached the advertising standards code for exaggeration and were banned from future publication. Both banned ads were for makeup products and it was deemed that the digital manipulation of the celebrities were not an accurate representation of the product’s results.

In a 2010 study conducted by the Girl Scouts Research Institute and the Dove Self Esteem Fund, 88% of girls reported that the media places a lot of pressure on girls to be thin. Moreover, 60% of the girls reported comparing their bodies to the bodies of fashion models, and 48% reported wishing they were as skinny as models in magazines, even though they knew the images were altered. It has been well-established that body dissatisfaction and dieting are risk factors for the development of an eating disorder. The unrealistic altered images portrayed in advertisements can, and are as described above, play a role in young girl’s body image and desire to lose weight in an effort to obtain these unrealistic bodies. Hopefully we are seeing the wave of the future. Advertising agencies need to take serious consideration of the impact their “fake” images can have on our society.  We encourage the American public to follow-suit and get active! There are several ways to get active and make sure your voice is heard. The National Eating Disorder Association created the group “media watchdogs” (http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/programs-events/media-watchdog.php) to improve media messages about size, weight, and beauty. Volunteers are needed to advocate for this cause. The Eating Disorders Coalition and Binge Eating Disorder Association have joined forces on an anti-weight stigma campaign in response to the First Lady’s Childhood Obesity Task Force and have provided sample text to make your voice heard (http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs033/1102502723903/archive/1103223369285.html). Every voice counts!

Image of Kim Kardashian before and after digital altering