Review,
Reflection and Renew
|
By: Judy Scheel, PhD, LCSW The
law essentially puts mental health diagnoses on par with medical
diagnoses. What does this mean for
someone with an eating disorder? It
prevents an insurance company from denying coverage or imposing strong
limitations for coverage for an eating disorder, a mental health
condition. Insurance companies
routinely denied or limited coverage to persons with eating disorders despite
the fact that Anorexia and Bulimia can have accompanying medical conditions
caused by the symptoms of the disorders.
And, August 30, 2007 - Gov. Eliot Spitzer signed into law
one bill that will help in early identification and prevention of eating
disorders in child actors and models and another bill to improve the quality
of care in residential treatment centers. A board has been established (Child Performers Advisory Board ) to
oversee the “development of guidelines
to ensure that child actors suffering from or at risk for eating disorders
are identified and have access to treatment. Appointed by the Commissioner of
Labor, along with the Commissioners of Health and Mental Health, board
members will also develop educational materials to generate awareness and
inform actors and models about eating disorders.” (National Eating Disorders
Association – NEDA) To
top this – Medical and Mental Health Parity on the national level continues
to be sought in Congress. In March
2007, two bills were re-introduced to promote mental health parity. The original Bill was introduced in 1996
and has been successfully re-authorized with significant improvements for
people seeking treatment for an eating disorder in the current Bills, particularly
in the House of Representative Bill – HR 1424 and the Senate version S 558,
respectively. The
Eating Disorders Coalition, our public policy advocacy group in The EDC is optimistic that their effort with the
support of its members, including CEDAR Associates, will be successful in
bringing parity legislation to a vote this Congressional year. For more information about the EDC, please
visit their website at www.eatingdisorderscoalition.org. All of this is great news in 2007 for continuing
to promote awareness, provide education and prevention programs and in
helping to secure reimbursement for eating disorder treatment. 2007
also saw more research regarding the search for causation of eating
disorders. Some in the field continue
down the “genetic” path. Genetic
studies are increasing, however, the data remains inconclusive. It cannot definitively be stated that
eating disorders are genetic disorders.
The Academy for Eating Disorders (aedweb.org) states: “Recently there
has been considerable interest in both genetic and biological factors which
may contribute to the onset of eating disorders. For both anorexia nervosa
and bulimia nervosa, behavioral genetic studies using twin designs have
indicated that there is a substantial genetic effect for the liability for
each of these disorders. Researchers are now examining genetic
influences by searching for genes, and some gene candidates have been found
to be associated with anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, although this
research remains relatively inconclusive in terms of genetic effects. There
are also numerous studies indicating that certain brain chemicals, such as
serotonin, may be abnormal in eating disordered individuals.” We at CEDAR remain committed to understanding and
staying abreast of the research regarding eating disorders. We remain cautious, however, regarding
those seeking to reduce causation to primarily genetic factors. There are too many variables that coalesce
to create an eating disorder. CEDAR Associates is committed to training and
education. Toward an understanding of
etiology CEDAR Associates is sponsoring The Eating Disorder Foundation’s (a
501©3 organization dedicated to the education, prevention and research in
eating disorders) 2nd Annual Conference. Etiologies and Treatment of Eating
Disorders: A Deeper Understanding on
Saturday, May 3rd from 8:30 AM – 3PM This year’s conference focuses on understanding
the etiologies of eating disorders and on various treatment models. The conference will also help participants
understand eating disorders within the context of other co-morbid diagnoses. The conference will not focus on the basics
of eating disorder diagnosing but rather on understanding theoretical models
like Psychodynamic, feminist psychoanalytic, cognitive/behavioral and
biological and how these models are transformed into treatment. The conference will include didactic
presentations, a role play session between therapist and patient based on a
combination treatment, medication update and management in the treatment of
eating disorders and understanding the role of the nutritionist and the
interplay between patient, nutritionist and therapist. Please look for registration information in the
coming weeks. This conference is open
to all health, mental health and educational professionals. Please send this information to anyone that
may be interested. CEDAR Associates has a busy and exciting year
ahead. We are looking forward to
greater treatment advances in the field for 2008 and for continued success on
the political effort to get laws enacted to protect and provide treatment for
those suffering with eating disorders. We wish all of you, particularly those who
provide treatment to eating disorder patients and their families, a year
filled with balance – good health, hard work and time for fun and relaxation. Warmly, Judy Scheel |
|
|