Daily News

Kim Barto

Ten million Americans suffer from eating disorders. What force is behind this epidemic, and how can we fight it? The glorification of weight loss is certainly a factor, but finding a solution is even harder than pinpointing the cause.

The problem is far from over once a person steps into the doctor’s office — treatment for an eating disorder is often arduous and can span decades. Even people with insurance may not be able to get the help they need.

In response to my last article, a woman emailed me about her teenage daughter’s battle with anorexia.

“The past 18 months have been hell due to this illness,” she wrote. “My child was only allowed to stay in the hospital as long as her insurance covered it. Many patients have to leave due to insurance and nothing regarding wellness.”

Upon further investigation, it is tragically clear that mental health care is still not on par with physical. Some insurance carriers impose arbitrary limits on hospitalization and office visits, even against the advice of the patient’s doctor. But symptoms do not disappear just because the insurance coverage stops.

A 1995 study printed in the American Journal of Psychiatry found that anorexic patients who stayed in the hospital long enough to reach a normal weight did better in the long-term. After staying in the hospital for an average of 116 days, only 7 percent of the group had to be re-hospitalized in the future, and less than one-fifth had persistent anorexic symptoms.

The picture was much bleaker for the patients who were released early.

Those who reached 76 percent of their ideal body weight had an average stay of 46 days. Yet even after leaving the hospital, more than half of these patients continued to have symptoms, and a whopping 62 percent had to be re-hospitalized. (more…)

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This entry was posted on Thursday, September 28th, 2006 at 4:38 am and is filed under Daily News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.