Did you ever wonder what happens when someone who has all of the concerning signs and symptoms of anorexia nervosa, but whose weight isn’t low enough to receive a formal diagnosis?
They get labeled as having “atypical anorexia nervosa or AAN.”
The problem is that people with AAN can be just as unwell as people with typical anorexia nervosa. The label “atypical” itself is misleading and even damaging. People with AAN can be told that they are “not sick enough” for treatment or for insurance coverage. People with AAN may also be excluded from research—just because they don’t meet the diagnostic criteria for the “typical” eating disorders. This completely undermines our ability to understand AAN and to clarify the seriousness of this condition.
At UNC Center of Excellence for Eating Disorders, we are studying the role that genes AND environment play in anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge-eating disorder, and avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID). People with AAN are currently excluded from the this work. Your donation can help us include them!
To succeed in this science, large groups of participants are required. Our dream is to invite 4,000 people with AAN to participate in our research. We are asking for your help to jumpstart this research. If we can raise $150,000, that will allow us to enroll our first 400 participants and then use their data to support applications for additional grant funding to reach out goal.
Will you help by being a founding donor to this very worthy cause? Every donation brings us one step closer to our goal and ensures that people with AAN will be included in the work that we do!
Donors
View All Donors