Eating Behaviors Research Clinic
Our Research
We are interested in understanding the psychological, behavioral, and interpersonal mechanisms that underlie eating disorders and related conditions, and how these processes influence the onset, maintenance, and treatment of disordered eating. We integrate clinical psychology, behavioral science, and diagnostic research to examine eating pathology within the context of current DSM-5 criteria. Using a combination of experimental, longitudinal, and assessment-based approaches, we investigate cognitive, emotional, and social processes that shape eating behaviors and recovery.
What happens to individuals with eating disorders?
To fully appreciate the consequences of eating disorders, we have to study their impact on people’s lives over extended durations of follow-up.
Dr. Keel has conducted multiple long-term follow-up studies of individuals with anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and more recently purging disorder.
Among these studies, Dr. Keel leads an ongoing epidemiological and longitudinal study of successive cohorts originally recruited in 1982, 1992, 2002, and 2012 and followed repeatedly at 10-year intervals.
What contributes to the development and maintenance of eating disorders and body image disturbance?
No single factor can explain why someone has an eating disorder. Using a range of methodologies, Dr. Keel has examined various sources of influence including social media, weight suppression (WS), ovarian hormones, gut peptides, genetics, reward value, and reward satiation.
