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The Truth about Family-Based Eating Disorder Treatment

Submitted by Dr. Julie O'Toole on June 28, 2010 - 5:41pm
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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?

Submitted by Dr. Julie O'Toole on June 21, 2010 - 5:26pm
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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

Submitted by Dr. Julie O'Toole on June 16, 2010 - 6:07pm
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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.

Federal Mental Health Parity Clarified

Submitted by Morgan O'Toole on June 8, 2010 - 5:05pm
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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.

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

Submitted by Dr. Julie O'Toole on June 7, 2010 - 3:47pm
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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,

DSM V Changes to Eating Disorder Diagnoses

Submitted by Morgan O'Toole on June 7, 2010 - 3:01pm
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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:

Doctors: Listen to Parents About Eating Disorder Symptoms

Submitted by Dr. Julie O'Toole on May 25, 2010 - 5:06pm
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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

New Study Shows Eating Disorders are Disorders of Brain Circuits

Submitted by Morgan O'Toole on May 21, 2010 - 4:20pm
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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.

Volunteer Opportunities at National Eating Disorder Association

Submitted by Morgan O'Toole on May 21, 2010 - 10:11am
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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.

Eating disorder symptoms often missed

Submitted by Morgan O'Toole on May 20, 2010 - 3:59pm
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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).

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