For Providers: Suicide Risk Assessment As we wind down September’s suicide prevention month, it’s a good time for those of us who treat eating disorders and other mental health conditions to evaluate our own suicide assessment skills and remind ourselves to be on the lookout for specific risk factors that come up in the ED […]

September 1st marked the start of National Suicide Prevention Month.  According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention), suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States.  Each day, roughly 123 Americans die by suicide. Every 12 minutes, there is a death by suicide in the US. We, in the field […]

Research on eating disorders consistently highlights that “treatment should be offered in the setting that is least restrictive and best suited to the individual’s needs and preferences.”[i] The outpatient setting (treatment in one’s real-life environment) is the least restrictive treatment setting and the best course for the majority of patients.  More intensive, highly controlled settings are […]

It may be difficult for many to understand how and why people with anorexia nervosa starve themselves.  A natural response to someone who is malnourished and underweight might be “just eat more!” But eating for someone with anorexia is far more difficult and distressing than you may think – and neuroscience research is helping us […]

Eating Disorders in Teens: How Can Parents Catch Them?   Eating disorders are serious, life-threatening conditions that can become chronic and cause lasting health problems if left untreated.  In spite of the critical nature of eating disorders, they often go unrecognized and undiagnosed. This week, a feature in the New York Times, “Recognizing Eating Disorders […]

There’s been a great deal of research over the last twenty years as those in the medical community seek to isolate the most effective methods for treating eating disorders.  Consistently, the research comes back to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy – and specifically the newest version of CBT for eating disorders called Enhanced CBT (or CBT-E) – […]