Mom aims to give young addicts a fighting chance

Above, a picture of Kelsey Curley shows her as a young girl before she began her struggle with addiction to narcotics. Her step-mother, Mary Gibbons, described her as an “incredible, talented, gorgeous, smart girl.”

Out of tragedy often arises a silver lining, and in the case of town resident Mary Gibbons, the lining is self-made.

Ms. Gibbons is hard at work developing age-specified Narcotics Anonymous (NA) meetings in town in honor of her stepdaughter, Kelsey Curley, who died as a result of drug addiction in October 2011.

Although she and her husband, Michael Curley, Ms. Curley’s biological father, have spent the last year grieving and learning to cope with their loss, they are now ready to make a difference in the lives of other young adults who struggle with drug addiction, Ms. Gibbons said.

Ms. Curley was an “incredible, talented, gorgeous, smart girl,” Ms. Gibbons said, “who was also addicted to drugs.” Battling her addiction for seven years, she got into trouble several times, as many drug addicts do, Ms. Gibbons said, and her struggle was quickly made public.

Mr. Curley and Ms. Gibbons tried everything in their power to help their daughter, from rehab to doctor supervision, but her struggle continued, and after having lived on her own for a time, Ms. Curley returned home to live with her family for the last two years of her life.

“So that’s when my education [on drug addiction] really started,” Ms. Gibbons said.

After she began attending NA meetings with Ms. Curley, she said, she realized that her stepdaughter was battling a disease. v

“I was just kind of blown away by my own limited education about drug addiction.”

If Ms. Curley had been battling cancer, Ms. Gibbons said, she would have been exploring every possible cure and taking her to doctors around the country to find her the best care.

Instead, “I was just mad at her a lot,” Ms. Gibbons said, but attending meetings changed that.

While driving Ms. Curley to an NA meeting in Stamford around that time, Ms. Gibbons asked her stepdaughter why they were traveling so far to one of her “home” meetings. Ms. Curley explained that NA meetings in Greenwich were very sparse and those that existed consisted mostly of older people who were battling addiction. Age-specific groups with topics that young adults could relate to and at times that would be convenient for them did not exist, Ms. Gibbons said.

Upon making this discovery, Ms. Gibbons contacted Selectman Drew Marzullo about the limited availability of drug addiction support in Greenwich and how to change it, she said.

“It is much more of a problem in town than anybody’s talking about,” she said.

Although battling drug addiction is never easy, Ms. Curley’s struggle was made more complicated by the lack of age-appropriate NA meetings in town, and after she passed away, Ms. Gibbons said she owed it to her stepdaughter to generate awareness and get others who are struggling the help they need.

A year later, Ms. Gibbons and Mr. Curley have made their mission trifold.

The first piece, Ms. Gibbons said, is to establish age-specified NA meetings in town that have topics geared toward younger people, who are more likely to relate to each other than to people in their 40s or 50s who struggle with addiction. Ms. Gibbons has spoken with a number of local churches that are willing to make their facilities available as meeting spaces. She has already confirmed with the Greenwich Teen Center that it will begin to hold meetings at its facility on Arch Street beginning next month.

The second and third parts of the couple’s mission include expanding education for people of all ages on how to handle drug addiction and what it entails, as well as creating counseling groups specifically for the family members of those who have passed away as a result of drug addiction.

The stigma attached to individuals who struggle with addiction is something that needs to be changed, Ms. Gibbons said.

When Ms. Curley died, one of the town’s local newspapers included in its story about her death every arrest or time of trouble the young woman had experienced in her short life. As a result, those attending her wake later that night, many of whom were unsure of what to say to the girl’s grieving parents, mentioned the article they had read about her earlier in the day. Ms. Gibbons and her husband were horrified, she said.

“If Kelsey had died of cancer we would be talking about what a great fight she fought … and she did,” Ms. Gibbons said.

Instead, those around town who consoled her and her husband expressed their sympathy but always had a big “but” attached to their condolences because of the nature of Ms. Curley’s death, she said.

When Ms. Gibbons tragically lost her 3-year-old son in an accident several years ago, the outpouring of support from the town was unmatched, she said. But when Ms. Curley passed away, things were different.

“What I learned by observation in being on the periphery, and also being a part of it, this year, is that when a child dies of drug addiction that you’re not consoled the same way.”

Siblings especially, she said, “carry a shame” when a brother or sister dies from an overdose because of the stigma attached to it.

Ms. Gibbons and Mr. Curley hope to establish group therapy geared specifically toward surviving family members of individuals who have died as a result of drug addiction. The couple, along with Ms. Curley’s siblings and step-siblings, attended group therapy sessions several times over the last year. The problem, Ms. Gibbons said, was that the sessions were for families who had lost a young family member, but not necessarily one that had died as the result of an overdose. It was clear in these meetings that Ms. Gibbons’ and her family’s issues were “very different” from those the rest of the group was dealing with. Specific grief counseling, Ms. Gibbons said, is therefore a crucial part of her mission.

State Sen. Scott Frantz (R-36th District) has been on board with Ms. Gibbon’s objective from the very beginning. He is “happy, willing and able to help in any way,” Ms. Gibbons said, and he is working with her to get age-appropriate NA meetings off the ground in town and then, if possible, statewide.

That process, however, will need funding in order to take off. Ms. Gibbons held a fund-raising event over the weekend, during which she offered pieces of her art collection for sale, including pieces from the several international art symposiums and exhibits she has hosted over the last few years, she said. Additionally, she offered signed copies of her book The Definitive Book About ICEHOTEL Art & Design for sale at the event.

All the event’s proceeds were donated to what Ms. Gibbons has christened “Challenges and Passions” — the official 501(c)(3) charity she recently created in celebration of Ms. Curley, which will fund the establishment of NA meetings around town, from the cost of renting space to the coffee and tea served at meetings, she said.

“This is Michael’s way and my way of honoring Kelsey,” she said.

Ms. Curley always felt better when she was actively going to NA meetings because of the support she received there, Ms. Gibbons said. Now it is her goal to find a way to “fortify that support and really get the community to embrace these kids as opposed to saying, ‘Oh boy, there they go again,’” she said.

If possible, Ms. Gibbons will take her concept of age-specified NA meetings nationwide, she said. Drug addiction “is a lot bigger than we are at this point,” she said, “and we’re losing our kids.”

To donate time, expertise or funds, or to simply stay in the loop with Ms. Gibbons’ project, contact her at marygibbonspresents@gmail.com.

Parents talk to kids about drug abuse

By: Pamela Knudson

Parents and adults here are in denial about drug abuse by their kids, a former federal drug enforcement agent told members of the Grand Forks Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition recently.

“Most parents have no clue. They’d be totally shocked” at the level of teenage drug abuse, said Robert Stutman, who met with high school students earlier this month during a visit to Grand Forks.

He also said there’s an unusual amount of the drug hydrocodone, or Vicodin, being abused here.

“I have a strong suspicion that some doctors in this town are writing a high number of prescriptions for hydrocodone.”

In other communities he’s visited, he said, it’s more common to see oxycodone, or Oxycontin, rather than Vicodin being used. Oxycontin — kids told him here — is “a luxury.”

Stutman spoke at evening sessions for the public Dec. 4 and 5 in East Grand Forks and Grand Forks. After a career as a special agent for the U.S. Department of Drug Enforcement, he’s spent the past 25 years working with kids and communities on drug abuse prevention.

During a presentation to the public, local pharmacist Carmen Loff said she is surprised by the number of prescriptions she’s filling for narcotics.

Loff, who’s originally from Devils Lake and graduated from NDSU, returned to the area last summer after working a few years in Washington State.

“It’s amazing, for the size of the town, how much (drug use) there is… What can we do as health care professionals? It’s hard to know if someone is a user or not.”

Stutman said he was moved by students he talked with, in groups and individually; some were “crying their eyeballs out.”

‘No idea what’s going on’

A few said their parents know about the drug problem but don’t do anything about it, he said. “Most said parents have no idea what’s going on.”

In East Grand Forks, “I had more kids come up and want to talk with me after my presentation than parents who attended the evening session,” he said. “That tells me there’s a level of denial in this community.”

At Grand Forks Central, a high school student tearfully told Stutman that her sibling and mother were using drugs together.

“They had started with marijuana and had moved on to methamphetamine,” he said. “She asked me, ‘What can I do about it?’”

Another student, “an obviously very bright, attractive, popular girl told me she is so (messed) up with drugs, she can’t see straight, she doesn’t know what to do.”

He told members of the prevention abuse coalition at a Dec. 6 meeting that they enlist a trained clinical substance abuse counselor who is not a school employee and could work with kids “under different rules.”

In some schools, students who report having a problem with drugs are immediately suspended and their parents are informed.

“If that’s what happens when they come in, why would they ever come in again?” he said.

“You gotta give kids a haven to go to, where they’re safe.”

In Grand Forks, Stutman said, “I haven’t met nicer kids. They were bright, articulate, polite…

“Help them. They’re asking for your help.”

---

New research could provide teen depression early warning

Serotonin 

By Mark Gould

Researchers have identified a pattern in the way that some young people process and respond to emotional information which they hope could be used to help identify teenagers at risk of developing depression and anxiety.

They say the findings could lead to the development of cheap cognitive tests to screen for common emotional and mental health illnesses, particularly in people identified as being at high social and genetic risk.

Such tests could facilitate early intervention, which has proven to be one of the most effective ways of combatting mental illness according to the researchers writing in Plos One today.

People who carry a particular version of a gene that encodes a protein involved in regulating levels of serotonin are more likely to experience anxiety or depression. Similarly, young people who have been exposed to adverse family environments in early childhood, such as parental conflict or neglect, are also at increased risk.

For the study, young people aged between 15 and 18 underwent genetic testing and environmental assessment, an exercise that would currently be too expensive and take too long to use as a widespread method of screening for mental health problems. The participants were then given computer tests to gauge how they process emotional information.

One of the tests asked the participants to evaluate whether words were positive (e.g. 'joyful'), negative (e.g. 'failure') or neutral (e.g. 'range'). A separate test measured their responses to negative feedback.

The results reveal that those adolescents with the version of the gene linked to depression who had also been exposed to family arguments and violence before the age of six had difficulty evaluating the emotional tone of words. Previous research has associated a maladjusted perception and response to emotions, as seen here, with a significantly increased risk of depression and anxiety.

The research was funded by the Wellcome Trust, the National Institute of Health Research, and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Collaborations for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care.

Professor Ian Goodyer from the University of Cambridge, who led the study, explains: "Whether we succumb to anxiety and depression depends in part on our tendencies to think well or poorly of ourselves at troubled times. How it comes about that some people see the 'glass half full' at times of stress and think positively, whereas others see the 'glass half empty' and think negatively about themselves, is not known.

"The evidence is that both our genes and our early childhood experiences contribute to such personal thinking styles. Before there are any clinical symptoms of depression or anxiety, this test reveals a deficient emotional understanding in some teenagers - a biomarker for the lack of resilience that leads to mental illnesses."

Dr Matthew Owens from the University of Cambridge added: "Having difficulty in processing emotions is likely to contribute to misunderstanding other people's intentions and can make individuals emotionally vulnerable. This research opens up the possibility of identifying individuals at greatest risk and helping them with techniques to process emotions more easily or training them to respond more adaptively to negative feedback."

One in four people in the UK will experience a mental health problem in the course of one year. Adolescence is a crucial period for the development of depression, and mental health problems are also common in young people. Approximately 10 per cent of children aged 5-16 in Great Britain are assessed as having a mental disorder of some kind, including conduct disorder, emotional disorder or hyperactivity.

Professor Barbara Sahakian, a co-author on the paper from the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Cambridge, said: "The way we perceive and respond to emotions affects our resilience and whether we succumb to depression and other maladaptive ways of thinking. Using the biomarkers identified in this study, it is possible to develop a screening programme to identify those at greatest risk."

Teen Marijuana Use at All-Time High

By Rita Rubin

Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD

Dec. 19, 2012 -- A new survey shows marijuana use by teens remains high, and officials say it will probably increase as a result of Washington and Colorado decriminalizing the drug last month.

“Based on what we know ... we are predicting that it’s going to go up,” says Nora Volkow, MD, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse. “Just the fact that there are some states that have made it legal ... will send a message” to teens throughout the country.

Already, the proportion of teens who consider marijuana to be harmful is the lowest it’s been in decades, according to the 2012 “Monitoring the Future” survey of eighth, 10th, and 12th graders. The annual survey of teen drug use is conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan.

The survey's silver lining is that it shows the use of illicit drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes is declining.

Still, about 70% of eighth graders said they thought regular use of marijuana was harmful, while about 42% said they considered occasional use harmful. Those rates are the lowest since the survey began asking eighth graders that question in 1991.

Among 12th graders, the proportion who said regular use was harmful was about 44%, occasional use, about 21%. Those are the lowest rates since 1979 and 1983, respectively.

The survey shows that 6.5% of high school seniors said they smoke marijuana daily, which is about the same as last year but up from 5.1% five years ago.

Use of synthetic marijuana, known as K-2 or Spice, was stable in 2012, with slightly more than 11% of high school seniors reporting they had used it in the past year, the survey shows.

This Is Your Brain on Marijuana

Teens who think marijuana is safe to use are mistaken, Volkow says. “I think that the data are quite clear that smoking marijuana during adolescence is harmful to your brain.”

A National Institutes of Health-funded study, published in August in theProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found a significant drop in IQ -- an average of eight points -- between the ages of 13 and 38 in people who had been heavy marijuana users since their teens. Even those who quit using the drug showed impaired mental abilities if they had started smoking marijuana in their teens.

“Findings are suggestive of a neurotoxic effect of cannabis on the adolescent brain and highlight the importance of prevention and policy efforts targeting adolescents,” the researchers concluded.

Washington and Colorado voters approved measures legalizing possession of up to an ounce of marijuana by people 21 and older. Washington’s law went into effect Dec. 6, while Colorado’s is set to become effective Jan. 5. Medical use of marijuana is legal in 18 states and the District of Columbia.

Although marijuana is illegal under federal law, President Obama told ABC’s Barbara Walters in a Dec. 11 interview that going after recreational users in states where marijuana is legal should not be a “top priority” of federal law enforcement officials.

Illegal Drug Use Overall Fell

Use of other illegal drugs declined among teens, the survey shows. The proportion who said they’d used an illegal drug other than marijuana in the past year was at its lowest level for all three grades: 5.5% for eighth graders, 10.8% for 10th graders, and 17% for 12th graders.

The 2012 survey was the first to ask about “bath salts,” stimulant-like drugs that can be addictive. Less than 1% of eighth and 10th graders, and only 1.3% of high school seniors said they had used bath salts in the previous year.

At a press conference about the findings, Lloyd Johnston, PhD, who has led the survey since its inception in 1975, speculated that use of bath salts might have been higher previously.

Prescription Drugs, Alcohol, and Tobacco

Nonmedical use of Vicodin, a prescription narcotic painkiller, in the past year by 12th graders was 7.5%, down from 10% in 2010. But nonmedical past-year use of the stimulant Adderall, prescribed to treat ADHD, rose from 5.4% in 2009 to 7.6% in 2012 among 12th graders.

“We do not know if they are abusing it because they think it is going to make them smarter or if they think it is going to make them high,” Volkow says.

Alcohol use has been declining steadily, with reported use in 2012 the lowest it’s been since the survey began measuring rates. Cigarette smoking continued to decline among students in all three grades. Still, nearly 1 in 5 high school seniors said they’d smoked cigarettes in the previous month. Teens also are turning to other forms of tobacco, such as small candy-flavored cigars and products that dissolve like mints, Howard Koh, MD, MPH, assistant secretary for health at the Department of Health and Human Services, said at the press conference.

“We should remember that of all these agents, tobacco remains the leading cause of preventable illness and death in the United States,” Koh said.

New hope for methamphetamine addicts

By: KARK 4 News

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) in Little Rock is celebrating early success in a treatment program for methamphetamine addiction.

In its work with InterveXion Therapeutics LLC, UAMS and its partner have successfully completed dosing in the first human safety study of a medication expected to significantly reduce or prevent the euphoric rush that drug users crave by keeping methamphetamine in the bloodstream and out of the brain, where the drug exerts its most powerful effects.

In the Phase I trial, 40 healthy volunteers who do not use methamphetamine received the medication over the past eight months and experienced no serious side effects.

"While we still have lots of work to do, this is a significant milestone for this research," said Brooks Gentry, M.D., a UAMS professor and InterveXion's chief medical officer who is overseeing the clinical trial phase. "Many experimental drugs fail during the first phase of a clinical trial, so we're excited that we can now look forward to testing in methamphetamine users who want help reducing their meth dependence."

When it has received final approval, the antibody will be given as an integral part of a methamphetamine user's complete treatment program, which consists of counseling and possibly other medications to reduce craving.

The medication, named ch-mAb7F9, is a monoclonal antibody. InterveXion, the trial sponsor, contracted the safety study to the Quintiles Phase 1 unit in Overland Park, Kan. The volunteers in the study, who received doses that ranged from 0.2 to 20 mg/kg, will continue to be followed for 21 weeks. Results of the Phase 1a study are expected in mid-2013.

The next steps in the development of the medication include further nonclinical safety testing followed by a Phase 1b clinical safety trial in current methamphetamine users. Funding for the project was awarded to UAMS and InterveXion from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Additional support was given by the UAMS Translational Research Institute. NIDA has backed the development, manufacture and toxicology testing of this medication through previous grants to InterveXion and UAMS.

InterveXion, a UAMS BioVentures incubator client company, has licensed the technology for anti-methamphetamine antibody products from UAMS and is working closely with the university during product development.

Methamphetamine abuse has been a significant problem in the United States for the last decade. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, there were 439,000 methamphetamine users in the U.S. in 2011. New methamphetamine users numbered 133,000. In 2010, more than 100,000 were admitted to drug abuse treatment with methamphetamine as their primary substance of abuse. In addition, there were 54.9 emergency department visits per 100,000 population aged 21 or older involving methamphetamine use.

InterveXion is a pharmaceutical company whose mission is to discover and advance innovative medications that reduce the impact of human suffering on individuals and communities. Its vision is to be a leader in the development of antagonist therapies that neutralize toxins in the body and thereby improve patient health. InterveXion's first medications are a monoclonal antibody and an active vaccine for treating methamphetamine abuse.

AFTERMATH OF SUICIDE: HELP FOR FAMILIES

Posted in Mental Health

In the wake of a loved one’s death by suicide, families often disintegrate, unable to deal with the intense grief and the difficult, painful, and often unanswerable question of “Why?” For every suicide, it is estimated that at least six persons are affected. These include family members, co-workers, neighbors, classmates and close friends. Beyond grief and the fruitless search for answers, survivors of suicide also grapple with crippling emotions.

Emotions can Derail Suicide Survivors’ Healing

The waves of emotions that flow through the minds of suicide survivors can be so devastating that they cause the person to no longer be able to function. Life just seems to stop for them, now that their loved one has died by suicide. These emotions may occur singly, or in clusters, come fleetingly or stay for lengthy periods of time. They all need to be dealt with in order for healing to begin.

• Shock – Most survivors of suicide feel shock as an immediate reaction, along with physical and emotional numbness. This reaction is the temporary way for the person to screen out the pain of what just happened, to allow time to comprehend the facts, and take things in smaller and more manageable steps.

• Anger – Loved ones and family members often express anger, or suppress it, at the waste of human life. Anger is another grief response, and may be directed toward the person who died by suicide, to themselves, another family member, or a therapist.

• Guilt – Following death by suicide, surviving family members rack their brains trying to think of what clues they missed, how they may have been able to prevent the suicide. This self-blame includes things they said (or didn’t say), their failure to express love or concern, things they planned to do (but never got around to) – anything and everything in a never-ending kaleidoscope.

• Fear – If one family member committed suicide, perhaps another will make an attempt. The surviving family member may even fear he or she is in jeopardy.

• Relief – When the deceased died by suicide after a protracted illness filled with intense physical pain, long decline into self-destructive behavior, or ongoing mental anguish, surviving family members may feel a sense of relief. Finally, the loved one’s suffering is over.

• Depression – Nothing seems worth an effort anymore to many suicide survivors. This manifests itself in sleeplessness or disturbed sleep, changes in appetite, fatigue, and loss of joy in life.

Grief experts say that most of these intense feelings will diminish over time, although there may be some residual feelings that may never truly go away. In addition, some questions may forever remain unanswered.

Surviving Suicide

It sounds trite, but it’s true. You can survive suicide. It is, however, a long and often painful (and painfully difficult) journey. Here are some strategies to help individuals survive suicide:

• Stay connected with other family members – The last thing you need is to be isolated and alone. You need other people at this time more than any other. Contact with others is particularly important in the first six months following a loved one’s suicide. For others, maintaining contact with others will take longer, almost as a lifeline of support. In any case, other family members are in most need of contact, even if they express a wish to be left alone. Not everyone grieves in the same way. Some people are unable to open themselves up and say what they feel. They may need more time to be able to offer you any consolation, but this doesn’t mean they don’t desperately need it themselves. Talk openly with other family members about your feelings about the suicide and ask them for help. But only do so if you feel ready to speak about it.

• Give children special attention – Children, especially, may have a more difficult time with the intense emotions they are experiencing. It is important to remind them that these are normal grief reactions. They need, above all, to know that you still love them and will be there for them always. Share how you feel with them, and encourage them to speak from their heart when they are ready.

• Holidays are stressful times – Be aware that holidays, birthdays, anniversaries and other special days are very stressful times for suicide survivors. Plan to meet the family’s emotional needs – as well as your own – during these times.

How do you Survive Suicide?

Beyond staying connected with other family members, it’s important that suicide survivors reach out and get help. There’s only so much an individual can work out in his or her head without professional help. Fortunately, help is available in a number of ways. These include psychological grief counseling, individual or group meetings, self-help groups, books and literature.

Websites for Suicide Survivors

Listed here are a few websites that may be helpful for suicide survivors:

• For Suicide Survivors – http://forsuicidesurvivors.com/index.html, devoted to those who are grieving the loss of a loved one by suicide.

• Suicide Survivors.org – http://www.suicidesurvivors.org/, survivors of suicide help and information, Judy Raphael Kletter.

• Survivors of Suicide – http://www.survivorsofsuicide.com/index.html

• Surviving Suicide – http://www.survivingsuicide.com/cope.htm, provided by the surviving suicide support group of the Central Christian Church.

Eating Disorders Can Show Up in Freshmen During Winter Break: Know the Signs

You are ecstatic that your “baby” is home from college for the holidays. You barely get a hug in at the airport because she has so many bags and so many layers of winter clothes on. But when you get home and all of the layers of coats and sweaters peel off, you notice for the first time that your college freshman is so thin that her head seems too big for her body. You voice your concerns. But she shrugs them off with a mumbled comment about how stressful finals were. Many experts warn not to ignore the red flag signs of an eating disorder in your freshman home for the holidays.

According to those who work with this population the transition to college nearly tops the list of the most common life stages in which eating disorders develop. Even though efforts have recently been made to debunk the myth of the “Freshmen Fifteen,” students face the fear of gaining weight and many other pressures of being away at school- including academic and social stressors. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, an estimated 25 percent of college students suffer from anorexia, bulimia, compulsive overeating, or related behaviors, compared with only one to five percent of the general public.  And take note: One in ten sufferers is male. Other studies show that most teens with eating disorders go untreated. So many freshmen start college already with eating disorders in place. Unfortunately, they find themselves in not-so-good company– surrounded by others also suffering disorders. As Shannon Hurd, former anorexic college student, states on collegebound.net: “college is a breeding ground for eating disorders” On some campuses, a culture of extreme dieting and starvation is well in place. Hurd states that on her campus, eating disorders had reached epidemic proportions.

To say that these behaviors are common place, is not to imply that they are at all acceptable. Eating disorders can lead to very serious health complications., which include, according to the Mayo Clinic, heart disease, depression, suicidal thoughts, absence of menstruation, bone loss, seizures, kidney damage, severe tooth decay and more. The Center offers a list of things to watch for over the holiday break:

Here are the FIVE WINTER BREAK WARNING SIGNS:

1. Noticeable Weight Loss or gain since your student started college
2. Helping prepare holiday meals but not eating them
3. Excessive exercise, even in weather conditions that are adverse
4. Withdrawal from family and friends and avoidance of gatherings
5. Discussing college in an obvious anxious manner or avoiding conversations about school altogether

Experts also urges parents to be vigilant when they notice warning signs in their college-aged child. In light of the profound and dangerous impact of eating disorders on health, early intervention is important to treatment success. “Eating disorders are complex and particularly difficult to treat. In fact, they have one of the highest mortality rates among all mental disorders,” says National Institute of Mental Health Director, Thomas Insel, M.D.

Don’t ignore the signs. Dr. Patrice Lockhart, tells EmpoweringParents.com: “It’s important to trust your instincts when it comes to your child.” If you suspect you are witnessing signs of an eating disorder, seek treatment. Consult your family physician right away.

Paradigm Malibu is devoted to the provision of state of the art Teen Drug Treatment, Adolescent Behavioral Health, Mental Health and Emotional Health Treatment. To learn more about our services, please visit our web site at: www.paradigmmalibu.com