CUMBERLAND, Md.  Eating disorders - a growing problem in a nation that places undue value on thinness even as overeating and obesity are epidemic - will be examined for the community's benefit on Thursday, October 15, by the Center for Eating Disorders at Sheppard Pratt.

The workshop, titled Eating Disorders: Diagnosis and Clinical Information for Health Care Professionals, begins at 12:30 PM in Allegany College of Maryland's (ACM) College Center Theater.

It is an outreach effort by that area of the Sheppard Pratt Health System, a Towson, MD-based, non-profit behavioral health organization, and is offered in collaboration with ACM's Social and Behavioral Sciences Division, which is coordinating it.

Kate Clemmer, the center's community education and outreach coordinator, will present a 75-minute session that will be of interest to health and human service professionals who work with patients and clients with eating disorders.

Clemmer, who holds a master of social work degree from the University of Maryland-Baltimore, facilitates the center's community support group for individuals and their friends and family members.

Sheppard Pratt offers a comprehensive continuum of treatment services for persons with complex eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating and compulsive overeating.

These include inpatient, day hospital, and intensive outpatient services as well as ongoing outpatient treatment.  The center's program is designed to respond to both the psychiatric and medical aspects of eating disorders with a comprehensive array of mental health and consultative medical resources.

Clemmer's early afternoon workshop will be held in the College Center Theatre on ACM's Cumberland campus.  It follows an 11 AM workshop she will present with a student focus: Eating Disorders Awareness on Campus.

This 45-minute session, also in the theater, calls attention to the increasing problem of eating disorders in a discussion of their origin and an explanation of why college students are at a particularly high risk for developing them.

An anonymous poll of 1,000 college students by the National Eating Disorders Association found that nearly 20 percent have had an eating disorder.  Other studies show that more than 50 percent of college struggle with some sort of disordered eating.

Workshop participants can expect to begin a conversation about pervasive cultural ideals that encourage a national obsession with thinness and dieting.  Misleading and harmful media messages will be discussed and challenged and the warning signs of eating disorders identified.

The morning workshop will be followed by a panel of students who will provide their views on the subject of eating disorders.  All sessions are open to the public and are free of charge.  They are financially supported by the ACM Student Council and the college Diversity Center.

Kurt Hoffman, ACM faculty member and chair of the college's Social and Behavioral Sciences Division, can be reached for more information at (301) 784-5113.