I just left a presentation here at the International Conference on Eating Disorders on risk factors that affect prognosis for adolescents treated for anorexia. When the presenter finished her thorough treatment of the topic, a researcher (I don't yet know his name) from the UK stood up to make a comment.

He noted that he and his colleagues had done a number of similar studies, and that they found recovery rates for anorexia that were consistently very similar to the presenter's numbers -- about 50%. He went on to say that, oddly, risk factors generally are inconsistent across the studies that they had done. In other words, it was very difficult to find anything that consistently correlated to the development of anorexia.

There was one exception, he said -- parental dysharmony.

It might make sense to consider, then, that one of the most powerful ways to guard against anorexia nervosa in a child is to strengthen the relationship between the child's parents. There's more than one benefit to deepening healthy intimacy between father and mother.

• Chicken or egg? The impact of eating disorders on marriages
• Being an active parent in the face of a child's eating disorder
• Family dynamics of those with eating disorders

A rare on-site blog entry: I'm writing from the Westin Hotel in Seattle, which is hosting the International Conference on Eating Disorders (ICED) this year. The conference began Wednesday, May 14, and runs through Saturday.

I'm compelled to write a note to tell you how encouraging it is to experience the energy from this large group of brilliant professionals. More specifically, I'm encouraged on behalf of everyone who struggles with an eating disorder. It's amazing to see a giant conference room full of people, nearly a thousand strong, who are concerned about the causes and treatment of eating disorders.

I wish that you could see it firsthand, so that you could have such tangible evidence that there is care and hope. If you have an eating disorder, or care for someone who does, this care is for you. Your situation matters to many, many people. And the conference attendees here are only a tiny fraction of the force that is working on your behalf.

If you haven't met anyone who seems to care, don't give up hope that you will. Seek help actively. Eating disorders create isolation, which reinforces the disordered eating. From what I can see here, isolation is one factor that no one needs to experience.

• Find treatment providers
• Connect with others online

Many people go to pro-anorexia websites in the hopes of receiving some kind of support. They get support, but the sites support the eating disorder rather than the person.

Did you know that this site has its very own forum in which you can gain support from others who are seeking recovery? Listen in, or start your own thread. You may gain wisdom from others who have been there before you and can give you hope. And you may be able to help others at the same time.

• Enter the Eating Disorders Forum
• Why pro-ana sites just don't provide a healthy option

I just read an article in Psychology Today -- "With Dieting, Success Is in the Details," in the May/June 2008 issue -- that was very close to being excellent. Unfortunately, the focus was off.

The article recapped a study that said that focusing on the details of an eating experience could make the eater take longer to consume the food and also make him feel more satisfied. It also suggested that those who didn't focus on details (in the study, the details in question were the exact flavors of a group of jelly beans) suffered declining enjoyment more quickly.

Absolutely! Eating mindfully, with all of the senses, is a fantastic way to tune into the body's responses, which include pleasure and fullness. It can significantly increase the satisfaction from a meal, a snack, or even a bite.

Alas, the article framed the findings as a way to make dieting more successful. It's true that eating mindfully (or sensually) can lead to weight loss, but to make dieting the focus is to miss the point. Your body knows what it needs and when it's full, and mindful eating lets you get all the satisfaction that your food can deliver. In essence, more satisfaction is packed into each bite. Whether you're eating steamed asparagus or a chocolate eclair, mindful eating can help you to enjoy without getting out of control.

Of course, talking about dieting makes for a more grabby headline. It just doesn't go all the way toward helping readers have good relationships with food.

• How to eat chocolate with confidence
• My take on Intuitive Eating, which takes mindfulness to the next level
• Leaving old eating to experience "life after eating disorders"

Gaining weight is the greatest fear of a person dealing with anorexia nervosa. But what really happens when weight gain begins to occur in treatment? There are some things that may seem frightening, but don't have to be. And you don't have to go through them alone.

• What to know about anorexia and gaining weight again
• Symptoms -- what gaining weight helps you escape
• Statistics on anorexia: Survival chances increase dramatically with treatment

The stereotype suggesting that eating disorders apply only to rich young white women is mercifully fading, but the question of how eating disorders affect different ethnic populations remains.

It turns out that black women, for example, generally see their bodies differently than white women. Definitions of what is "beautiful" are different. Yet black women manifest some traits common among those with eating disorders at even higher rates than their white counterparts.

What do the differences look like? And should they affect treatment planning?

• Do weight-loss behaviors differ between white women and black women?
• Men -- the forgotten eating disorder gender
• Is Barbie an example of how culture affects us?

Those with eating disorders know that holidays of any kind are a challenge, since it often means dealing with people -- and in particular, family. How do you honor Mom on Mother's Day in an authentic way?

Chances are that there's a whole flurry of emotions that you have toward your mother, and possibly a number of them stemming from history of food issues. Often, you can tame the chaos by writing down what you're thinking and making it concrete.

So I recommend writing Mom a letter -- a truthful one. That means acknowledging the good and the bad (and perhaps the very bad). But don't worry; there's no need to send the letter or give it your mom unless you want to. By understanding your relationship with Mom, you're already giving her a gift.

• Three examples of letters to address your relationship with Mom
• How anorexia erodes relationship with loved ones

Continuing the march toward understanding eating disorders causes, two organizations are holding a conference to further their views that these disorders have genetic roots and are "brain illnesses" similar to mood disorders like depression. Timberline Knolls, a treatment center in Chicago, has teamed with the Multi-service Eating Disorders Association in this endeavor.

It's been suggested that this is a "controversial" approach in some circles. I suppose that some would question the influence of biology on eating problems, but I think that there's a persistent thread indicating that many "mental illnesses" have physical components, and vice versa.

It seems reasonable that biological causes and psychosocial causes (like family issues) may work together. There is no set of family dynamics of which we know that always results in an eating disorder in a son or daughter. It may be that family issues (and many other potential triggers) simply activate a disorder made possible by a person's genetics.

• More on the conference (Walthan, Massachusetts)
• What do we know about eating disorder causes?
• Particular triggers that may touch off disordered eating

A recent ad campaign was so adept at including items that are likely to trigger disordered eating that I decided to open the Eating Disorder Hall of Sadness, a record of media influences and other unhelpful events that tend to promote eating disorders. Not just anything will be allowed into the Hall, of course. Entries will have to be genuinely saddening to make the cut.

• So who's the charter member?
• How media influence eating disorders
• History of eating disorders and modeling

The SCOFF eating disorder screening is a five-question tool designed to show you if you may have an eating disorder. Quick, easy, with no work involved.

Drawbacks? It only screens for anorexia or bulimia (not binge-eating disorder). Also, the test casts a wide net: If you don't have an eating problem, the screening may occasionally suggest that you do. For my money, that's a good bias: It finds pretty much everyone who does have an eating issue and some who don't. Better safe than sorry, so to speak. In any case, it's good to be checked out by a qualified professional if you have any concerns (from the SCOFF quiz results or any other reason).

• Take the SCOFF eating disorder quiz
• Or, try the bigger, badder Eating Attitudes (EAT-26) test
• Understand the criteria for diagnosing eating disorders