A rare on-site blog entry: I'm writing from the Westin Hotel in Seattle, which is hosting the International Conference on Eating Disorders (ICED) this year. The conference began Wednesday, May 14, and runs through Saturday.

I'm compelled to write a note to tell you how encouraging it is to experience the energy from this large group of brilliant professionals. More specifically, I'm encouraged on behalf of everyone who struggles with an eating disorder. It's amazing to see a giant conference room full of people, nearly a thousand strong, who are concerned about the causes and treatment of eating disorders.

I wish that you could see it firsthand, so that you could have such tangible evidence that there is care and hope. If you have an eating disorder, or care for someone who does, this care is for you. Your situation matters to many, many people. And the conference attendees here are only a tiny fraction of the force that is working on your behalf.

If you haven't met anyone who seems to care, don't give up hope that you will. Seek help actively. Eating disorders create isolation, which reinforces the disordered eating. From what I can see here, isolation is one factor that no one needs to experience.

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