Eating disorders affect 29 million Americans (9 percent of the population). Every 52 minutes, someone in the U.S. dies as a direct result of their eating disorder. Guided by Domenica Feraud’s rapturous play RINSE, REPEAT, this week we delve into eating disorders: anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, orthorexia, and every eating disorder on the spectrum.
Host Ruthie Fierberg and Feraud unite with experts Dr. Mae Lynn Reyes-Rodriguez (researcher and clinical psychologist and fellow at the Academy for Eating Disorders) and Johanna Kandel (founder and CEO of The Alliance for Eating Disorders Awareness) to understand how to recognize if you or a loved one suffers from an ED; the stigma surrounding EDs; the true spectrum of EDs; the gaps in the medical system in treating EDs; EDs across cultures, particularly in the Latinx community; the economy and effects of diet culture; how and where you can find help for yourself or a loved ones; and legislation that will make ED treatment more accessible.
About Our Guests:
Ruthie Fierberg, Host
IG: @whywetheater / T: @whywetheater
IG: @ruthiefierceberg / T: @RuthiesATrain
Domenica Feraud, playwright
The author of Rinse, Repeat, Domenica also starred in the role of Rachel during the play’s Offf-Broadway run at Signature Theatre Center in New York City. She appeared as Maria Ortoli in Season 19 of Law & Order: SVU. She co-wrote and starred in the short film Betafish, opposite Gethin Anthony. Domenica also starred in Peter Molesworth’s four-person The Merchant of Venice in Italy. Domenicaferaud.com
Dr. Mae Lynn Reyes-Rodriguez, PhD., FAED
Mae Lynn is clinical associate professor at the Psychiatry Department of the UNC-CH and Editor-in-Chief of Puerto Rican Journal of Psychology. She is a fellow of the Academy for Eating Disorders and expert of content for the National Center of Excellence of Eating Disorders. As a researcher and clinical psychologist, she has devoted her clinical research career to adapt eating disorders treatments for the Latino population in Puerto Rico during her early career and later with Latinos in the mainland, particularly in Central North Carolina. She has published numerous papers on cultural adaptation and is a columnist in one of the main Latino Newspapers in NC, La Noticia in which she provides psychoeducation on mental health in order to raise the awareness and reduce the health disparities. med.unc.edu
Johanna Kandel, founder and CEO of The Alliance for Eating Disorders Awareness
After recovering from a ten-year-long battle with various eating disorders, Johanna Kandel founded The Alliance for Eating Disorders Awareness, the leading national nonprofit organization providing education, referrals and support for all eating disorders. Since its inception in 2000, The Alliance has brought information and awareness about eating disorders to hundreds of thousands of individuals nationally and internationally. In addition, Johanna runs free weekly support groups and helps thousands of people gain information and find the help they need. She’s also the author of Life Beyond Your Eating Disorder (Harlequin). As a passionate advocate for mental health and eating disorders legislation, Johanna has spent a lot of time meeting with numerous members of Congress, was part of the first-ever Eating Disorder Roundtable at the White House, and is a member of the Interdepartmental Serious Mental Illness Coordinating Committee (ISMICC). Follow her on Instagram: @johannakandel @allianceforeda
Create the change
- Call The Alliance for Eating Disorders Awareness (866-622-1235 or click here).
- Join a free weekly clinician-led support group through the Alliance.
- Please do not comment on the way anybody looks.
- Do not label food “good” or “bad” or “junk”. All food in moderation.
- Listen when someone tells you they are struggling with eating, especially if you are a medical practitioner.
- Sign up for Action Alerts from the Eating Disorders Coalition (EDC) to easily sign petitions when legislation reaches Congress.
- Donate to the EDC.
- Support the bipartisan Nutrition CARE Act. (Learn more here.)
- Support the SERVE Act. (Learn more here.)
- Advocate for culturally sensitive treatment of eating disorders across cultures.
- Learn more about Health At Every Size.
Referred to in this episode
- 2019 Playbill interview between Ruthie and Domenica
- Understanding the word “recovery” relating to EDs
- Statistics and research on eating disorders from National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA)
- Racial and ethnic bias in ED care, specifically for Latinx people
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