I decided to attend this amazing conference for two reasons: to learn more about the subject of the title of this post and to learn if there might be any possibility of effective treatment for my loved one whose life has been chaotic for more than 27 years years due to multiple co-morbidities plus severe and enduring anorexia nervosa/bulimia subtype and the search to find something to address the chaos.
My questions to the reader are, "What would you do to help reduce absolute chaos in your loved one's life if nothing was working?" And, if your loved one with an ED and co-morbidities such as bipolar disorder, depression, borderline personality disorder and/or anxiety disorder (or all of these) could not find a solution to his/her chaotic life, what might s/he do about it? Did you know that up to 50 percent choose substance abuse as a solution? How do we address and design treatment for someone struggling with these issues?
Here's the program for the two days:
From the point of view of a parent who has pretty much read and digested everything I could get my hands on or listen to re eating disorders, co-morbidities and substance abuse for the past 27 years including Laura Collins' book, Eating with Your Anorexic, which was a revelation to me, I could not have asked for a more comprehensive and informative curriculum that would address my loved one's needs and provide me with additional knowledge to pursue effective care. I applaud the conference organizers and sincerely thank, as well, Gina Bongiorno, MFT, and Erin Parks PhD for the extra time they provided to me to answer many questions. I continue to consider Dr. Walter Kaye one of my heroes. I thank very much Jennifer "J.D." Ouellette for her support, company and reassurance during the time I was there.
[The backdrop was the Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines Resort located south of and a few minutes walk from the Torrey Pines State Reserve where there are several hiking trails, a few offering splendid views of the surf and the Pacific Ocean. Those of us lodging there were offered a very reasonable rate. I arrived Wednesday evening and left early Saturday morning, enjoying two delicious dinners and breakfasts apart from the meals provided during the conference. Their Starbucks on site provided me with my hot soy chai thanks to two coupons offered to me upon my arrival as well as two appetizer coupons for dinner. Indulge me while I provide a few photos including one of the trail map. Then it's back to the conference!]
Here's a view from my room, four from a trail within the Torrey Pines State Reserve, and a photo of the map provided to me by the concierge who made sure to tell me that I needed to be out of the park by sunset when it closes:
So.......
Dr. Kaye outlined the goal of the conference in his welcome letter to us:
"Our goal for this year's [the third] conference was to bring together eating disorder clinicians and substance use clinicians so that we can learn together, and from each other, how to help those struggling with co-occurring disorders. One third of people struggling with substances abuse report eating pathology, and up to half of all adults diagnosed with eating disorders meet criteria for substance abuse. [emphasis mine.] Cross-training and collaboration across these two specialty areas will help us to better serve these individuals - thank you for being here to help serve this goal."
I was one of the few parents but I did not feel out of place I think mostly because none of the language used or the methods discussed was unfamiliar to me. I certainly gained a much better understanding of Motivational Interviewing thanks to Ken Resnicow, PhD, and of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy thanks to Seth Axelrod, PhD. In fact, if I had been restricted to just a few of the offerings, I would have selected those two plus the Psychopharmacology of Emotion Dysregulation in Eating Disodered Patients with Co-Occurring Disorders presented by Terry Schwartz, MD and Mary Ellen Trunko, MD and that by Amy Baker-Dennis (see next paragraph). Fortunately, however, all sessions were open to me and all were highly informative.
Prior to her presentation, I spoke briefly with Amy Baker-Dennis, PhD, FAED, who provided those attending the 2010 NEDA Conference in New York City a similar but much earlier version of her presentation about The Need for Integrated Treatment of Substance Abuse and Eating Disorders. So much more information this time gained from her years of additional experience and practice!
Because some readers here may know more about substance abuse than eating disorders and since I did not attend Eating Disorders 101, here's a link to three videos found on the UCSD Medical School Center for Eating Disorder website titled, Eating Disorders 101. (As I post this, I am wondering out loud if the 2016 conference was videotaped and might be available for a modest price? I will find out.) I will repost this paragraph in the next post, as well.
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