Addressing and Challenging Racism in ED Treatment and Research by Ashley Acle, LMFT & Norman Kim, Ph.D.

Systemic racism impacts upon people with eating disorders by playing a major role in how clients receive treatment, how treatment is administered by providers, and the applicability and generalizability of research. Among the legacies of racism in the US, there are layers of systemic barriers to accessing culturally adapted and competent care as well as ensuring adequate diversity and representation in clinical research. People of color and those with intersectional identities suffer from eating disorders at similar or higher rates than in the general population, so these disparities rooted in racism represent a significant and immediate concern.

Anti-racism is integral in creating socially just practice in the fields of psychology and mental health, including eating disorders. Challenging racism at the systemic level is necessary as part of a multi-level intervention. Limited resources exist for identifying and addressing systemic racism in the field of eating disorders, particularly as these impact ED diagnosis, treatment and clinical research. This presentation integrates insights from mental health and related fields to identify and raise questions about areas for critical attention as we address systemic racism as a field.