Mental Health America announced important and exciting news in their April 18th Press Release, celebrating the Senate’s overwhelming passage (by a vote of 95-2) of the Mental Health Awareness and Improvement Act (S. 689). This passage marks tremendous progress as the first significant mental health legislation passed by the Senate since 2008.Developed by Senators Harkin […]
Category Archives: News
Weight Bias in the Workplace: CVS Employees Forced to Reveal Weight or Pay Penalty
CVS Caremark’s new employee health policy requires participants to provide their weight, body fat, and glucose levels…or pay the penalty of $50 per month. This coercive strategy forces employees to pay a fee in order to maintain health-related privacy. According to ASDAH (the Association for Size diversity and Health), there are multiple studies suggesting that […]
What Consumers Should Know About Changes to Psychotherapy Sessions in 2013
By Lauren Muhlheim, Psy.D., CEDS and Kantor & Kantor, LLP, LLPUnbeknownst to most mental health consumers, a change went into effect in January, 2013 that may have far-reaching ramifications for those receiving outpatient psychotherapy. For the first time in 15 years, changes were made to the coding system used to describe and bill for mental […]
Surviving an Eating Disorder: An Inside Look at Recovery
In honor of National Eating Disorders Awareness Week (February 24-March 2), I would like to share with you a very personal, authentic, and profound glimpse into what it means to have an eating disorder. In place of providing you with basic eating disorder information and statistics, I instead leave you with this story of a […]
It’s 2013…But Eating Disorder Patients Continue to Fight For Coverage
Securing insurance benefits for the treatment of an eating disorder can be an extensive battle. This battle often comes in the form of repeated denials, being told you can “be safely treated at a lower level of care,” appeals, and even being quoted incorrect benefit information. Those who suffer from eating disorders, and their families, […]
America’s Dangerous Obsession with Obesity
A new book by UCLA sociologist Abigail Saguy argues that American attitudes about fat might be more dangerous to public health than obesity itself. “What’s Wrong With Fat?” untangles the escalating concerns around the obesity epidemic by exploring two imperative questions: First, how and why has fatness been medicalized as “obesity” in the first place? […]
DSM-5 Approved by the APA
The fifth edition of the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) was approved by the American Psychiatric Association board of trustees on Saturday. The board’s approval was the final step needed before the DSM-5’s formal release in May, 2013. The DSM was last revised in 1994.This is excellent news for those in the […]
EDNOS: An Often Overlooked but Deadly Diagnosis
Last night, ABC aired a segment on EDNOS (Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified). EDNOS is a very serious illness with an estimated mortality rate of 5.2%. Although the general population may not be as accustomed to hearing this diagnosis- as opposed to bulimia nervosa, anorexia nervosa, or binge eating disorder- EDNOS is one of the […]
New Study Finds That Patients With Anorexia Overestimate Their Own Size
While it is not groundbreaking news in the eating disorder community that those suffering from anorexia have a distorted perception of self, providing this scientific evidence is a leap in the right direction. Professionals have been experiencing this type of distortion and body dysmorphia with their patients and clients for quite some time, and demonstrating […]
California Physicians Sue Aetna to Protect Policyholders’ Treatment Choices
In the first lawsuit of its kind, the California Medical Assn., three county medical groups, four surgery centers, more than 60 individual doctors, and one patient are suing insurer Aetna Inc. in Los Angeles Superior Court for threatening to deny benefits to policyholders who go “outside the network” for treatment, even though their policies allow […]
