ANRED: Who We Are and What We Do

What is ANRED?

We are a 501(C)(3) nonprofit organization composed of people who want to make it easier for you to learn about eating disorders and how to recover from them.

How old is ANRED? When was it founded?

ANRED was founded in 1979. We have been actively involved in combatting eating disorders ever since.

If ANRED is nonprofit, why is your address <www.anred.com>? Shouldn't it be <.org>?

Yes, it should be <.org>. The first person who helped us with this site made a mistake when she registered us with InterNIC, the agency that organized the World Wide Web when we first put up our pages. By the time we found out, it was too late to change. We had spend quite a bit of money on the registration process, and we were already listed as <www.anred.com> in several databases so we decided to continue with <.com>.

How is ANRED supported?

By donations, but fund raising is kept separate from the operation of our Web site. We do not solicit money from our visitors, nor do we try to sell them anything. All our information is free.

What does ANRED do?

We maintain this Web site and update it monthly. We also respond to e-mail generated by visitors to the site.

Who is behind the ANRED acronym?

Our officers include a psychiatrist, a clinical psychologist, a psychiatric nurse practitioner, a registered nurse who works in a mental health agency, and a pastoral counselor/eating disorders specialist who moonlights as the ANRED web master. Some of our families have been touched by anorexia and bulimia. The affected members are now fully recovered and have been for many years.

What are the credentials of the ANRED staff?

Collectively we hold the following degrees: one MD, one Ph.D., one RNMHNP (psychiatric nurse practitioner), one RN, and one Th.D. Collectively we have worked in the field of eating disorders for well over 100 years. We have presented papers at many professional conferences and conducted numerous community education events. We have run private practices. We have worked with hospital eating disorders programs. We have led support groups. We have conducted inservices for medical and mental health professionals. We have read hundreds of books and journal articles about eating disorders, and we have attended dozens of conferences, workshops, and seminars to prepare ourselves for this work.

Do you do counseling by e-mail from this site?

No, we do not. We believe that eating disorders are serious problems that deserve professional attention, eyeball to eyeball. Good treatment begins with medical and psychological evaluations and then continues according to a thoughtfully constructed treatment plan. That plan is subject to revisions based in part on careful observations of the client and his or her expressions, voice tones, and other non-verbal behaviors. Because e-mail does not give us access to that kind of information, we are not comfortable providing treatment in anything but a face-to-face context. ANRED information is not, and was never intended to be, a substitute for medical or psychological care.

If you send us e-mail, we will respond. We will give you the best information we have, and if you ask for them, we will give you our opinions. We cannot, however, diagnose or treat problems as complex as eating disorders by e-mail.

Eating disorders are treatable, and people do recover from them. Almost always, however, recovery demands professional treatment. The sooner you begin, the easier it will be for you to take control of disordered eating. Don't let embarrassment or false pride get in the way of your seeking the help you need.

Why don't you have footnotes? What are your sources? How can I know that the information on this site is accurate?

While we do include many citations, our site is designed for lay people and consumers. We do not pretend to be a professional or scholastic resource.

Our information, including the statistics we set forth, is accurate. It comes from many sources including the materials listed in our bibliography. If you need specific citations, ask your school research librarian to help you with a computer search of the literature using key words like "epidemiology," "etiology," "anorexia nervosa," "bulimia nervosa," and so on.

Is your site up to date? How often do you revise it?

We are up to date. Our pages include some of the very latest information about eating disorders and their treatment. To keep ourselves current, we rely heavily, but not exclusively, on the Eating Disorders Review, a digest of timely research published six times a year by Gurze Books. We incrementally update the site as soon as new information becomes available, and we update globally every 2-3 years.

Suppose I want to talk to a real person? Suppose I want a referral to an eating disorders counselor?

Then please call ANAD, our sister organization in the Chicago area. The phone number is 847-831-3438 (Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Central Time). ANAD can make referrals by phone or via their Web site. If you are in crisis, please call 911 or go to your local emergency room.

Please Note: ANRED information is not a substitute for medical or psychological evaluation and treatment. For help with the physical and emotional problems associated with eating disorders, talk to your physician and a mental health professional.

Page updated May 16, 2008

ANRED: Who we are and what we do