The Life Scientific

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The Life Scientific: Janet Treasure on eating disorders and the quest for answers

Janet Treasure on eating disorders and the quest for answers

BBC Radio 4 - The Life Scientific, Janet Treasure on eating disorders and the quest for answers

Professor of Psychiatry Janet Treasure discusses her career researching eating disorders

Professor of Psychiatry Janet Treasure tells Jim Al-Khalili about her career studying eating disorders and the ongoing quest to better understand and treat these complex conditions

From anorexia nervosa to binge-eating, eating disorders are potentially fatal conditions that are traditionally very difficult to diagnose and treat - not least because those affected often don’t recognise that there’s anything wrong. But also because of the diverse factors that can influence and encourage them. 

Janet Treasure is a Professor of Psychiatry at King’s College, London - where she's focused on understanding the drivers behind these disorders, to help develop more effective treatments. Her study of twins in the 1980s offered one of the earliest arguments of a genetic link to anorexia, rather than the purely psychological motivations accepted at the time; while her most recent work explores holistic ways to better treat these conditions.

Speaking to Jim Al-Khalili, Janet explains the work that's revealed anorexia's roots in both body and mind - as well as how attitudes towards eating disorders are slowly changing. 

Presented by Jim Al-Khalili
Produced by Lucy Taylor

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Janet Treasure on eating disorders and the quest for answers

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