Millie Plotkin
Murray, S. B., Pila, E., Griffiths, S., & Le Grange, D. (2017). When illness severity and research dollars do not align: are we overlooking eating disorders? World Psychiatry, 16(3), 321. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/wps.20465/full
“When determining funding allocated for psychiatric research, several important factors warrant consideration, including scientific opportunity, the status of existing evidence, public health need, disease severity, economic-related burden of illness, and the scope for high impact research. Eating disorders are among the most pernicious and complex psychiatric disorders, for which the precise etiology remains elusive, but relatively little funding has historically been allocated to their research.”
In this letter to the editor, the authors discuss the underfunding of eating disorders research, citing trends in the United States, Canada, and Australia. During a recent Eating Disorders Coalition advocacy meeting with my Senators, a staffer pointed out that stigma also impacts research funding. We must continue to fight the stigmas and stereotypes associated with eating disorder patients and families as we advocate for research dollars.