Global Health Pandemic – The Perfect Storm

This innovative session hypothesizes that through a “perfect storm” our society experienced the convergence of epigenetic risk/intergenerational trauma, the pandemic, and social media, influences to bring about the epidemic of mental health issues eating disorders and body dysmorphia, which has particularly added stress to the developing adolescent. Participants will leave with an understanding of the risks that lead to mental health struggles, and with clear directions on treatment/innovations in the field. This talk is given by Dr. Wendy Oliver-Pyatt, a Board-Certified Psychiatrist with over 20 years in treating severe mental health conditions. Oliver-Pyatt is considered a thought leader in the eating disorders field, and founder of five distinctive eating disorder programs. Through this unique and integrative presentation, thought leader and clinician Dr. Wendy Oliver-Pyatt will examine the intersection of the pandemic, trauma, transgenerational trauma eating disorders and body dysmorphia. Attendees will gain insight to the onset and development of eating disorders and body image disturbances within the context of the pandemic and the social crisis associated with the pandemic. A special focus of this presentation will be on the impact of trans-generational trauma and epigenetics on the development of mental health conditions including PTSD and Eating Disorders and Body Dysmorphia in adolescents. Firsthand accounts and stories of the impact of transgenerational trauma related to being a child of a Holocaust survivor will be shared by Wendy and related back to the current pandemic and environment we currently live in, which will be postulated to have impacted an entire generation of survivors of other forms of trauma from our shared history. Impact of social media on development of trauma responses will also be explored. Presentation will also discuss state of current research and potential treatments on the horizon.