Alaska Eating Disorders Alliance banner draped over a table near entrance of the AKEDA conference. Photo by Murat Demir.
The Alaska Eating Disorders Alliance held a conference at the Social Sciences Building on Aug. 22-23 to provide education on topics related to eating disorders.
According to the Alaska Eating Disorders Alliance — or AKEDA — the goal of the conference was to provide two days of training on eating disorders for health care professionals and students.
The material covered during the conference included information about stereotypes, diagnostic processes and treatments.
The Northern Light spoke with AKEDA communications and program outreach associate Kailyn Hooley. She sat behind a table in front of the conference, handing out event programs during the interview.
“We like to say eating disorder awareness is suicide prevention,” Hooley said, referring to the elevated risk of suicide for individuals experiencing eating disorders.
Eating disorders have the second-highest mortality rate among mental health conditions but are often overlooked, with schools providing minimal education on the topic, according to Hooley.
She said AKEDA’s goal as a nonprofit organization is to provide resources and education about eating disorders to Alaskans and people outside the state.
The Northern Light also spoke with UAA graduate student and AKEDA volunteer Anna Jajewski about eating disorder awareness on campus.
“I think the more we talk about eating disorders, the better,” said Jajewski.
She said the conference raised awareness about eating disorders even if students didn't attend, because it was held in the Social Sciences Building and the AKEDA banner faced the building’s entrance.
“Even for people who are not in training to be clinicians, general knowledge on eating disorders can be really helpful with how common they are,” she said.
She emphasized the seriousness and prevalence of eating disorders within the community and said that, due to the lack of resources available to Alaskans, conferences such as this provide valuable opportunities for people to learn.
According to Jajewski, people hold several misconceptions about eating disorders that lead to harmful outcomes.
“In a lot of ways, we have criminalized some foods, labeling them as 'good' and 'bad’,” she said. “This makes it really easy to put those labels on ourselves when we eat these foods.”
She said AKEDA is a good starting point for those who are struggling with an eating disorder.
Jajewski said the organization offers an online group for adults that requires no diagnosis to join. Information can be found on AKEDA’s website.
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