Mental Health Parity Success in New York! December 22, 2006 - Governor George E. Pataki is scheduled today to sign into law a statewide bill to allow greater access to care for people for people with mental illness. He will sign "Timothy's Law." Learn more at TimothysLaw.Org and the New York State Psychological Association
Another Chance for the United States: Congress Extends Mental Health Parity Act, Then Adjourns Congress has passed a one year extension of the Mental Health Parity Act of 1996, giving parity proponents another chance in the new Congress to make the case for ending the discrimination against those who suffer from mental or substance use disorders. This extension to December 31, 2007 was included in the massive “Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006” as Section 115. It was not controversial. The EDC and other organizations are working to reauthorize the 1996 law that was originally scheduled to expire in 2001. It has been extended six times. While we were not successful in bringing the proposed full parity legislation to a vote in Congress we are optimistic that we can build on the greater understanding of the issue achieved over this two-year period. Accomplishments: ● Representatives Patrick Kennedy (D-RI), Jim Ramstad (R-MN) and 229 others were on the record as cosponsors of HR 1402, the Paul Wellstone Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act. Of the total, 38 were Republicans. ● The EDC and over 350 organizations nationally supported HR 1402 as a critical step in relief from insurance discrimination. ● Senators Pete Domenici (R-NM) and Edward Kennedy (D-MA) made progress in long discussions with traditional opponents of parity. We look forward to learning more about their potential path to a bill that may win passage when the 110th Congress begins in January.
HBO DOCUMENTARY THIN CHRONICLES THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN DYING TO BE THIN A new documentary by Lauren Greenfield and HBO is raising awareness and stirring debate among the organizations and individuals concerned about eating disorders. Click here for HBO's Thin Web pages.  The EDC encourages you to visit our member organization Web sites to read responses to this important documentary. EDC Member Organization Responses to THIN: Renfrew Center Academy for Eating Disorders National Eating Disorders Association
EDC Lobby Day 91 Activists Call Attention to IMPACT, "Improved Nutrition and Physical Activity Act" WASHINGTON Sept. 14, 2006 - More eating disorder advocates lobbied Congress on Sept. 14 than ever before, each asking for a fair share of federal support for the deadly condition. The EDC Lobby Day, in conjunction with the National Eating Disorders Association annual conference, attracted 91 people from a majority of states. Also participating were representatives from England, Germany, and Mexico. The message of the day: support the Improved Nutrition and Physical Activity Act (IMPACT). If passed before the end of the 109th Congress, the bill would create a federal grant program to train healthcare personnel about obesity and eating disorders. Although eating disorders have one of the highest death rates of any mental illness, the government spends only $21 million a year on research, and far less on prevention and education programs. Advocates asked that their elected officials support IMPACT in the House and Senate by signing on as co-sponsors and working to pass the legislation before Congress adjourns.   Press Conference
Three Members of Congress, 90+ Advocates Pack Press Conference for Eating Disorders
Rep. Mary Bono California 45th District	Rep. Jim Ramstad Minnesota 3rd District		Rep. Patrick Kennedy Rhode Island 1st District
WASHINGTON Sept. 14, 2006 - Three influential members of Congress joined almost 100 eating disorder advocates and members of the media for a press conference at the Capitol on Sept. 14. The event called attention to a bill before Congress and to the Worldwide Call for Action on Eating Disorders. U.S. Representative Mary Bono (R-CA) hosted the press conference and talked about her sponsorship of a bill before Congress that would create grants for training healthcare professionals about obesity and eating disorders. She was joined by mental health leaders Rep. Jim Ramstad (R-MN) and Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI), both supporters of the Improved Nutrition and Physical Activity Act (IMPACT). The press conference served as the U.S. launch of the Worldwide Call for Action on Eating Disorders, a program spearheaded by the Academy for Eating Disorders (AED). Academy leaders Kelly Klump (left) and Judy Banker (right) spoke about the importance of the charter and how the passage of Rep. Bono's bill would move the country toward a sensible response to eating disorders. Copies of the charter were mailed to all 535 members of Congress in order to familiarize them with the challenges facing people with eating disorders. The charter is also available for download by clicking here. Deb M., an eating disorder survivor and activist, talked about her own battle and how that battle had changed her life. Activist Kitty Westin also spoke about the loss of her daughter, Anna, and about the importance of the charter and the IMPACT bill. The press conference was presented by the Eating Disorders Coalition and the Academy for Eating Disorders. Click here to download a 1-page flyer for the September 14 press conference and other events. EDC Signs Worldwide Charter for Action on Eating Disorders The Worldwide Charter for Action on Eating Disorders treatment was launched and signed at the Academy for Eating Disorders International Conference in Barcelona on June 7, 2006. Board Member Mary Gee signed on behalf of the Eating Disorders Coalition for Research, Policy & Action. The Worldwide Charter for Action on Eating Disorders was produced through collaboration between the Academy of Eating Disorders and other organizations around the world. An international taskforce began work in March 2005 to identify key participants and begin the work of gathering worldwide views. The task force has worked across 12 time zones, communicating by e-mail and teleconferencing. A Web-based survey of people with eating disorders, their families, and eating disorder health professionals was undertaken between March and May 2006. 1,730 people from 46 countries submitted a response. The survey highlighted the great variations in the quality and accessibility of eating disorder programs and services around the world. Charter Chairperson Eric Van Furth of the Netherlands explained, “This is the largest consultation that has ever taken place. The comments made highlight significant global issues, which this Charter addresses. It also made clear that there are basic, overarching principles which connect people affected by eating disorders, no matter where they live.” A view reflected by Patient and Family Advocate Grainne Smith from Scotland “The survey showed just how many people world wide still have to fight for access to treatment and to battle against ignorance of these life threatening conditions, as well as fight the eating disorder too”. The Charter sets out the rights and expectations which people with eating disorders and their families can seek from those responsible for health polices and practice worldwide. Governments, policy makers, clinicians, and opinion leaders from across the world will be encouraged to become signatories and commit to the Charter’s action agenda.
Click to open the Charter. Click Get Adobe Reader to download the latest version of software for PDF files.		This article is based on a report from the Eating Disorders Association of the UK, www.edauk.com.
SENATE COMMITTEE URGES FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO STUDY INCIDENCE OF EATING DISORDERS April 2006 - The United States Senate is urging the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to study the number of Americans suffering from eating disorders. Advocates say this is a first. “It’s hard to call attention to a problem if the government has never counted the number of people with the condition,” says Sam Menaged, president of the Eating Disorders Coalition for Research, Policy & Action (EDC). “For the first time, the federal government is being asked by Congress to study how widespread and detrimental the problem really is.” The EDC claims that approximately 10 million Americans suffer from eating disorders. Ninety percent of cases appear in women and girls. By comparison, the American Cancer Society estimates 212,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed among women in the United States in 2006, and 40,000 deaths. The society also estimates that there are currently 2 million breast cancer survivors in the U.S. “How many deaths will occur from eating disorders with 10 million Americans suffering from the disease?” Menaged asks. For six years the EDC has knocked on doors in Congress, encouraging members to address the problem of inaccurate reporting of deaths resulting from an eating disorder. At a congressional briefing in 2001 sponsored by the EDC, parents of Andrea Smeltzer described how the coroner listed their daughter’s cause of death as "undetermined." There was no mention of the bulimia she had been suffered for 13 months. Without precise reporting, there is no accurate data on the numbers of people who are dying from complications due to eating disorders. "While several studies suggest the number is quite high we need the federal government to support this issue,” says Jeanine Cogan, policy director of the EDC. “The EDC is thrilled that our efforts paid off and that the Senate passed this." The request came in a Senate report that accompanied the 2006 budget for the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS): “The Committee (on Appropriations) is concerned about the growing incidence and health consequences of eating disorders among the population. The extent of the problem, while estimated by several long-term outcome studies as being high remains unknown. The Committee urges the CDC to research the incidence and morbidity and mortality rates of eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, and eating disorders not otherwise specified across age, race, and sex.” For several years, the EDC has urged the federal government to conduct such a study. The Senate committee also requested that the Office on Women’s Health in the DHHS expand a successful eating disorders prevention program from the current middle school curriculum to a new project that targets all levels of education, from elementary to high school. “Finally, the federal government is beginning to take this seriously,” Menaged says. “Eating disorders have devastated and taken the lives of too many people. This is a turning point in how the nation deals with a serious and sometimes deadly mental illness.” The Eating Disorders Coalition works in Washington, D.C., on behalf of researchers, therapists, prevention experts, and those personally affected by an eating disorder. The EDC mission is to advance the federal recognition of eating disorders as a public health priority. ### TAKE ACTION Call, write, or e-mail to thank both of your U.S. Senators. Tell them you care about eating disorders, and ask to be kept informed about their support of eating disorder issues. Find your Senators online at www.senate.gov. LEARN MORE The current BodyWise Handbook for middle school personnel is available online at http://www.4woman.gov/BodyImage/bodywise.cfm New Report Finds No Effective Medications for Anorexia Nervosa, but Behavioral Therapy May Have a Limited Benefit April 17, 2006 - No medications are available that effectively treat patients suffering from anorexia nervosa, but a few behavioral therapies may help prevent a relapse and offer other limited benefits, according to a new review of currently available research on eating disorders released today by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality of the Dept. of Health and Human Services (DHHS). The review also found evidence that several medications and behavioral therapies can help patients suffering from bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder. Eating disorders are psychiatric illnesses with serious, potentially life-threatening medical consequences. Anorexia nervosa is characterized by an obsession with weight, severely restrained eating, sometimes exercising excessively, and an inability to maintain a healthy body weight. In bulimia nervosa, excessive eating is followed by efforts to compensate by vomiting, misusing laxatives or diuretics, fasting, or exercising excessively. Those who suffer from binge eating disorder eat excessively but do not purge. This review of the scientific literature published since 1980 was conducted by AHRQ's Evidence-based Practice Center at RTI International and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It did not find any medications effective in treating anorexia nervosa but did find several behavioral therapies that appear to offer limited help. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), a form of psychotherapy that encourages patients to develop thinking patterns that will counteract their unhealthy eating behavior, helped prevent relapse in adult anorexic patients once their weight had been restored to a normal level. There was not enough evidence to determine whether CBT works during the acute phase of the illness, before a patient with anorexia nervosa has been restored to a normal weight. The researchers concluded that family therapy does not appear to work with adults with longstanding anorexia nervosa. One study found that family therapy worked better for younger patients than for older, more chronic patients. One particular kind of family therapy, which starts by encouraging parents to oversee a young person's nutrition, appeared to help these patients gain weight and make psychological improvements. Both medications and behavioral therapies were found helpful in treating bulimia nervosa; however, there was no clear information about how to combine medications with behavioral treatments. The selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) fluoxetine, commonly known as Prozac, was found helpful in treating bulimia in a short-term clinical trial. Patients given a dose of 60 mg/day for 16 to 18 weeks had reduced symptoms and were less likely to experience a relapse by the end of 1 year. CBT, offered either individually or in a group, and interpersonal psychotherapy were also helpful in reducing the core symptoms of bulimia nervosa, binge eating and purging, and in alleviating the psychological symptoms of this disorder. However, the optimum length of treatment and the best strategy for maintaining these health benefits remain unknown. Several types of medications helped patients suffering from binge eating disorder make at least short-term improvements to their health; these medications included SSRIs, tricyclic antidepressants, an anticonvulsant, and an appetite suppressant. CBT was also helpful in treating binge eating disorder, reducing the number of binge days or binge episodes patients experienced. It did not help patients with binge eating disorder control their weight. "These findings underscore the need to learn more about the causes of these frightening and poorly understood illnesses and to find effective treatments," said AHRQ Director Carolyn M. Clancy, M.D. "In the meantime, we need to make sure that clinicians use the evidence we currently have to help those suffering from eating disorders." The review concludes that more research is needed to determine the best strategies for combining medication and behavioral therapy, possible harms of treatment, and whether treatments should be tailored to a patient's age, sex, gender, or other personal characteristics. A major gap in knowledge exists about how to treat patients with bulimia nervosa who do not respond either to fluoxetine or to CBT. Though the numbers are difficult to establish, the National Eating Disorders Association estimates that about 10 million girls and women and about 1 million boys and men in the United States suffer from either anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa. As many as 25 million additional individuals may be affected by binge eating disorder. Although these disorders most commonly affect people in their teens and twenties, they are found in all age groups, even young children. Those who suffer from eating disorders can experience a wide range of physical health complications, including serious heart conditions and kidney failure. Only about half of patients who are diagnosed with anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa fully recover, and many individuals struggle for decades with these disorders. Anorexia nervosa has particularly devastating medical and psychological consequences that can persist even after recovery. If it begins in the teenage years, it can interfere with normal adolescent development. Patients with anorexia nervosa often suffer as well from emotional problems such as depression, anxiety, social withdrawal, heightened self-consciousness, and fatigue. Treatment of anorexia nervosa is also quite costly, as the more serious cases often require hospitalization in specialized facilities. Data from AHRQ's Healthcare Cost & Utilization Project show that in 2003 a typical 16½-day hospital stay for an anorexia nervosa patient resulted in charges of $30,970. Lack of insurance coverage can mean that such patients do not get the treatment they need. Funded by the Office of Research on Women's Health at the National Institutes of Health and the Health Resources and Services Administration's Office of Women's Health, the report was requested by the American Psychiatric Association and the Laureate Psychiatric Clinic and Hospital on behalf of an expert working group on eating disorders. "The AHRQ report provides valuable information about the studies that have been done on treating eating disorders," said Vivian W. Pinn, M.D., Director of the NIH Office of Research on Women's Health. "It also highlights research needs in this area and will help inform a future research agenda." The Management of Eating Disorders can be found online at http://www.ahrq.gov/downloads/pub/evidence/pdf/eatingdisorders/eatdis.pdf (PDF file, 3.5 MB; PDF Help). Copies of the report are available free of charge by calling the AHRQ Publications Clearinghouse at 800-358-9295 or by sending an E-mail to ahrqpubs@ahrq.gov. GlaxoSmithKline Donates $15,000 to the EDC January 17, 2006 - GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare is donating $15,000 to the Eating Disorders Coalition (EDC). In making the announcement, Director of Marketing Theodore Kyle said the contribution was in recognition of GlaxoSmithKline's interest in the work of the EDC to promote the healthy weight and healthy eating behaviors.
DC Welcomes New Member Organizations: Center for Change, Rader Programs, Rosewood Ranch March 9, 2006 - Three eating disorder treatment programs have recently joined the EDC. The Center for Change, Rader Programs, and Rosewood Ranch have demonstrated their support of eating disorder advocacy by joining the coalition in 2006. Much of the EDC's work centers on treatment-related issues. EDC board members have been reaching out to get more programs involved.
EDC Office Space Expands, Now Closer to U.S. Capitol The EDC is increasing it's footprint in Washington! A new office on Pennsylvania Ave., just one block from the U.S. Capitol, now offers more convenience for the EDC administrative assistant and student interns. EDC Policy Director Jeanine Cogan says, "The new space is really great in terms of access. Not just access to policymakers, but to restaurants, the Metro, and the Library of Congress research materials." The new EDC office includes several amenities, such as complementary subscriptions to Roll Call and The Hill, meeting rooms, and a concierge. The building dates to 1880. The first floor contains a store and the Capitol Lounge, a popular hangout for staffers from the Hill and the Library of Congress. The second and third floors house offices for nonprofit organizations, private lobbyists, and reporters.
Success! Senate REJECTS Bill That Would Overturn State Mental Health Parity Laws May 2006 - If enacted into law, the proposed "Health Insurance Marketplace Modernization and Affordability Act" (HIMMA) would have repealed state laws that have been enacted to ensure that consumers have access to adequate mental health benefits. LEARN MORE The EDC and other national organizations signed a letter of opposition to S. 1955. READ THE LETTER (pdf)