My research investigates the cognitive and social emotional factors that maintain eating disorders and translates this research into novel treatment adjuncts for people with the most severe and complex forms of eating disorder. 

I have demonstrated that people with eating disorders have strengths for detailed information processing and that they are able to stick to rules more closely than their unaffected peers. These findings have been translated into clinical practice and I have conducted one of the largest randomised controlled trials in the child and adolescent literature exploring how Cognitive Remediation Therapy might help young people with these skills as part of their recovery. 

My work has also shown people with eating disorders have challenges in recognising and regulating emotions and I have begun to uncover some of the reasons, why, in my studies, both adults and young people with eating disorders have reported significant difficulties with their social lives and social skills. I have conducted innovative studies using eye-tracking and observational methodologies to better understand the social skills that might be more challenging for people with eating disorders with the aim of using this knowledge to support people to make better use of social support to facilitate their recovery. 

Current Projects

My BA/Leverhulme funded project with Dr Laura Vuillier at Bournemouth University and Dr Matt Somerville at UCL uses EEG to investigate emotional functioning in people with bulimia nervosa. We're looking for participants to take part in this study: please get in touch for more info: a.harrison@ucl.ac.uk

With the STEADY project, (PI Dr Marietta Stadler, King's College London) I am involved in developing and testing a cognitive behavioural therapy intervention for people with type 1 diabetes and disordered eating. There's more about the model we  developed based on lived experience here: https://www.dramykharrison.com/t1de

Recently Completed Projects

My Medical Research Council funded project with Prof Eirini Flouri (Co-I) and Post-Doctoral Researcher, Dr Marta Francesconi explored how decision making under conditions of risk might contribute to the later onset of eating disorder symptoms. You can read more about what we found here: www.dramykharrison.com/mrc

Wellcome Trust Active Ingeredients for Mental Health

With Dr Matt Somerville and Dr Helen Macintyre from UCL and Prof Iris Mauss, University of California, Berkeley, we reviewed evidence on beliefs about emotion controllability and depression and anxiety in young people ages 14-25. Learn more about our findings here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=US78BzDUL3s