Treatment Notes by Sari Fine Shepphird

Self Help and Eating Disorders Recovery

"Can't I just get better on my own?"

"Why do I need to see a doctor" (or other healthcare professional)?

You have probably heard the question asked of you dozens of times, I know I have. And given the high risk of medical complications and other challenges faced in recovery, we always recommend that individuals with eating disorders seek professional help, as well they should.

But are there any self-help resources that truly help?

"Anorexia as a "Fashion Statement"?

Is anorexia sexy?

Stupid question, I know.

So why is it that a new wave of fashion designers are using the malnutrition that results from anorexia as inspiration for their creations?

Mental Health Parity, Insurance Coverage & Eating Disorders

Earlier this year, a Robbinsville, New Jersey family won a landmark lawsuit against the Aetna Insurance Company due to the insurer's denial of claims to treat a 16-year-old adolescent girl with anorexia. The insurance company cut off coverage for the daughter of Robbinsville's Jeff Meiskin even though she required months of in-patient care. Aetna said her illness was a "non-biologically based mental illness" and limited her coverage to 20 outpatient visits per calendar year and 30 days of in-patient benefits.

 

Meskin's daughter was not the first to have her claims denied by an insurance company. She was not the tenth, or the hundredth. She was one of perhaps tens of thousands.

 

Limitations on access to care for eating disorders patients have not only historically posed a barrier to the recovery process for countless individuals, the restrictions have arguably put many lives at risk. The long-standing discrimination by insurance companies against patients suffering from psychological and behavioral disorders has led to higher co-payments, deductibles, and stricter limits on treatment for addiction and mental illness, leaving many patients and their families without care, without proper treatment, and in many cases, without hope.

 

That is until now...

Thank you, Wellsphere...

Dr. Sari Shepphird, PhD Eating Disorders

I am very pleased and honored to be included in the Wellsphere community of Bloggers. Wellsphere is re-publishing Treatment Notes with the permission and support of eatingdisordersblogs.com

I am also delighted to have been named a "Health Maven", allowing me to answer questions about eating disorders posed by visitors to Wellsphere.com. Thank you Wellsphere!