News and Research

Morgan O'Toole
Jun 8 2010 - 5:05pm

The American Psychiatric Association has publicly endorsed an "interim final rule" clarifying certain requirements of the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008. The law created a federal requirement that all medical insurance policies provide equal benefits for mental health conditions, such as anorexia, bulimia, autism, and schizophrenia.

Morgan O'Toole
Jun 7 2010 - 3:01pm

For the past year Kartini Clinic staff have been actively involved in helping to revise diagnostic definitions of eating disorders in children for the upcoming Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM), 5th Edition. The latest recommendations of the working group on eating disorders have been issued in a report to the American Psychiatric Association. Here are some of the highlights:

Morgan O'Toole
May 21 2010 - 4:20pm

At Kartini Clinic we practice in the knowledge that parents don't cause eating disorders and children don't choose to have them. For many years this belief made us rather unpopular with the psychiatric community. But recent science has vindicated this perspective and treatment approach by demonstrating clearly that eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa are highly heritable and steered by powerful brain chemistry.

Morgan O'Toole
May 21 2010 - 10:11am

The National Eating Disorder Association has created the Parent, Family and Friends Network (PFN) to assist families in need of eating disorder information, treatment, and ongoing support. Kartini Clinic supports NEDA in its mission to help families and their children cope with the challenges of eating disorder treatment.  As a part of PFN activities, NEDA has launched the Navigators Program. NEDA Navigators are volunteers trained to connect with people affected by eating disorders to offer encouragement, resources and hope.

Morgan O'Toole
May 20 2010 - 3:59pm

We occasionally highlight articles in the press that we agree with. A recent article in mysanantonio.com does a good job of describing what is a very common problem in eating disorder treatment: failing to recognize, or worse, ignoring eating disorder symptoms until the problem is obvious (and much more dangerous).

Morgan O'Toole
May 19 2010 - 5:57pm

Our families know that at Kartini Clinic we never advocate diets of any kind. Not only do they not work, they can be dangerous for those predisposed to an eating disorder such as anorexia. We continue to be amazed at the number of ridiculous fad diets to come out of Hollywood. The latest, as reported by Healthzone.ca, encourages adults to ingest baby food as a means of restricting calories.

Morgan O'Toole
May 18 2010 - 12:46pm

The Portland Business Journal has reported that over 400 Oregon families had been taken in by two Tennessee companies selling bogus insurance policies.

Morgan O'Toole
May 12 2010 - 3:03pm

The National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA) is launching an initiative to gather testimony from families about their struggles with mental health insurers. NEDA believes that insured patients and their families need a voice to communicate their experiences in the pursuit of treatment.  The Advocacy and Communication Committee of the Academy for Eating Disorders wants your help.

Morgan O'Toole
May 7 2010 - 12:26pm

Kari Thielke, lead dietician at Rogers Memorial Hospital, in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, talks about the importance of family meals in the treatment of eating disorders. According to Thielke, family members find that eating meals together can provide a time to actually listen to one another, a time to bond and create a healthier diet.

Morgan O'Toole
May 3 2010 - 10:57am

The Huffington Post reports that three US senators have sponsored the Federal Response to Eliminate Eating Disorders (FREED) Act. Senators Al Franken (D-MN), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and Tom Harkin (D-IA) have introduced a wide-ranging bill aimed at improving education, diagnosis, and treatment of eating disorders. 

The bill would require the federal government to: