AACAP Applauds AMA Focus On Eating Disorders

Main Category: Eating Disorders
Also Included In: Nutrition / Diet;  Pediatrics / Children's Health;  Psychology / Psychiatry
Article Date: 10 Jul 2007 - 1:00 PST

email to a friend   printer friendly   view / write opinions   rate article

The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) has encouraged the American Medical Association (AMA) to call for the development of better standards of care for children and adolescents with eating disorders and to emphasize the need for eating disorder prevention programs.

Leadership at the 2007 AMA Annual Meeting recommended a review of the etiology, incidence, and treatment of eating disorders, as well as strategies to promote early recognition and access to appropriate medical intervention.

"Increased awareness of the signs, symptoms, and seriousness of eating disorders may improve rates of early intervention and treatment," said AACAP President Thomas F. Anders, M.D. "This may contribute to healthier outcomes for these life-threatening conditions."

Anorexia is an eating disorder characterized by a total aversion to food and an abnormal fear of gaining weight. Anorexia affects one in 100 adolescent girls between the ages of 10 and 18 and a much smaller number of boys, according to the National Institute of Health.

Bulimia is an eating disorder characterized by episodes of secretive excessive eating (binge-eating) followed by inappropriate methods of weight control, such as self-induced vomiting (purging), abuse of laxatives and diuretics, or excessive exercise. Reported rates of bulimia vary from one to three of every 100 adolescents, according to the National Institute of Health.

Click here to read more about the signs and symptoms of eating disorders. To schedule an interview with a child and adolescent psychiatrist who specializes in treating eating disorders, please contact Erin Baker: ebaker@aacap.org.

http://www.aacap.org