Dr. Jessica Luzier to be featured on WCHS “Ask the Expert”

Jessica L. Luzier, PhD, APBB, Director of the WVU Disordered Eating Center of Charleston and an Associate Professor with the West Virginia University Charleston Campus department of behavioral medicine and psychiatry will be the featured guest on WCHS-AM 580's "Ask the Expert" radio program on Wednesday, September 11 from 8:20 am to 9:00 am.

Dr. Luzier will discuss eating disorders and their causes, as well as some common diagnoses, risk factors and symptoms and also prevention and treatment and advocacy efforts to help people with disordered eating.

“Eating disorders affect up to one out of three females and one out of ten men. Individuals may have all different shapes and body sizes, yet still be suffering from very problematic behaviors and attitudes”, says Dr. Luzier. It is estimated that 20 million women and 10 million men suffer from a clinically significant eating disorder at some time in their life, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating or other eating disorders. “We know that the sooner someone gets treatment for their eating disorder, the more likely it is that they will recover,” adds Dr. Luzier

The WVU Disordered Eating Center of Charleston (DECC) was launched in the summer of 2010. DECC is a multidisciplinary outpatient treatment program that provides services for youth and adults with disordered eating, including clinical eating disorders. Team members include psychologists, social workers, a dietician, and physicians specializing in adolescent medicine, psychiatry, and internal medicine. Awareness and prevention are major commitments for DECC. There is an imperative to increase public awareness and provide high fidelity information to counter the myths and shame associated with these perilous medical and psychiatric conditions.

In the Summer of 2013, Dr. Luzier developed the WV Eating Disorder Network, which aimed to develop a registry of providers across West Virginia who are interested in treating patients with eating disorders. The network routinely disseminates information on trainings in the area, provides consultation on challenging cases, and serves as a potential referral source for individuals around the state.

The Network’s annual conference gives Luzier and her team the opportunity to provide training and to heightening awareness of eating disorders. “It’s important for individuals and families to know there is hope and treatment available for these very challenging disorders,” Luzier said.

For more information on the conference and WVU DECC, please visit http://charleston.hsc.wvu.edu/DECC/.