Dr. O'Toole's Blog

Give Food a Chance

Jul 27 2010 - 11:15pm

My publisher notified me that my book Give Food A Chance should be available for purchase at the end of this week. We will post an official announcement on the home page when we receive our copy. Once it is available you should be able to find it on the publisher’s webpage and on Amazon. It will be available in paperback, or as an electronic book on Kindle, as a book on iPad, or as a pdf.

What if Anorexia Nervosa could be Diagnosed with a Blood Test?

Jul 19 2010 - 6:32pm

What would it be like if we could add a blood test to our evaluation of a patient with anorexia nervosa? This might sound an outlandish question but recent published research on schizophrenia, another severe mental illness (i.e. brain disorder) suggests that this may not be far off.

Successful Treatment of Food Phobia

Jul 12 2010 - 7:29pm

Sometimes our work brings tears to our eyes.

Today I discharged four year old Gabriel after one week’s intensive treatment for food phobia in Kartini Clinic's Food Phobia treatment program.

Pro-Anorexia Sites May Endanger Recovery

Jul 6 2010 - 11:22am

Editors' Note: We have asked our clinical staff to respond to a recent study suggesting that certain web sites may be undermining eating disorder treatment and complicating recovery from these serious illnesses. The author, Dr. Rebecca Seifert, is a family therapist at Kartini Clinic.

The Truth about Family-Based Eating Disorder Treatment

Jun 28 2010 - 5:41pm

This week’s blog is an excerpt from my upcoming guide to eating disorder treatment, Give Food A Chance (PSI Press, 2010). This excerpt deals with the essential role of the family in successful eating disorder treatment of children and why it's sometimes one of the hardest message to bring to parents.

What happens when the weight comes back?

Jun 21 2010 - 5:26pm

In the next few blogs I am going to excerpt a few relevant parts from my upcoming book about eating disorder treatment called Give Food A Chance, to be published this year by PSI Press. Once the book becomes available, we will notify readers of my blog where it can be purchased.

This excerpt deals with “weight redistribution” or the shifting of weight in patients with anorexia who have become weight restored during their eating disorder treatment:

Eating Disorder Symptoms: what to watch for

Jun 16 2010 - 6:07pm

Previously I have discussed relapse. Now I would like to put together a short list of concerning symptoms to be aware of. These symptoms, should they occur, must prompt a closer inspection and possible reevaluation by your eating disorder team.

1. Obviously, weight loss. Any weight loss of more than 5 pounds is very, very concerning. Do not wait until five pounds has become ten. Add calories (food) to arrest the weight loss promptly. If you meet with resistance, consider this a sign you need help now.

When I am with Kitties: the Very Young Child with Anorexia Nervosa

Jun 7 2010 - 3:47pm

In this blog I am going to share a short poem written by a ten year old girl with anorexia nervosa who came to Kartini Clinic years ago for eating disorder treatment. I have never forgotten her because of this poem and because she and very young children like her taught me how biologically-based anorexia is and how blameless our patients are. Children with anorexia nervosa are like children with any other illness: still children!

When I am with kitties
the light in my life comes shining through,

Doctors: Listen to Parents About Eating Disorder Symptoms

May 25 2010 - 5:06pm

This is an excerpt from my upcoming book Give Food A Chance (to be published this summer by PSI Press) taken from a chapter about parents, their essential roles in recognizing symptoms of eating disorders such as anorexia, as in obtaining timely treatment for their child. It is written partially as a plea to other medical doctors to listen to parents, and also partially to encourage parents to continue to advocate for their children in their time of

Relapse in Patients with Anorexia Nervosa

May 18 2010 - 1:03pm

I am occasionally asked whether or not anorexia nervosa is a chronic illness. As far as I am concerned, anorexia nervosa is a chronic illness of remission and exacerbation, which is a medical way of saying an illness often returns after a period of stability. Anorexia can be gotten into good remission, which may last many years, but it can flare up with a recurrence of symptoms during times of stress, life change or for no apparent reason. We call this relapse.