Newsletter
Fall 2011
UC SD
>
Eating
Disorders
Center
for Treatment
& Research
Services Provided at the
University of California, San Diego (UCSD)
Inpatient Medical West Program at Rady Children’s Hospital
— Medical Stabilization for Adolescents and Young Adults
Adolescent Services
— Partial Hospitalization Program
— Intensive Outpatient Program
— Intensive Family therapy Program
La Jolla, CA
Adult Services
— Partial Hospitalization Program
—— 10-hour Day Treatment
—— 6-hour Day Treatment
— Intensive Outpatient Program
Upcoming Seminars
Our intake coordinators are available to help assist you with intake
process and to answer any questions you may have about our
programs. Please feel free to contact our intake coordinators
directly.
October 18: Terry Schwartz, M.D. — Dual Diagnosis
For all adolescent and inpatient inquiries, please contact:
Alyson Merchant at (858) 966-8908
December 6: Liana Abascal, Ph.D. — Diabulimia
For all adult program inquiries, please contact:
Christi Middlesworth at (858) 534-8026
Educational Seminars
UCSD Eating Disorder Center prioritizes continuing education
(CE) for staff and community providers on the advancements in
the treatment of eating disorders (EDs). To carry out this objective
UCSD offers one-hour seminars with APA CE credit. These are
held weekly on Tuesdays at 12:00PM at the La Jolla Professional
Bldg., 8950 Villa La Jolla Drive B-122. Topics include Diabulimia,
Maudsley Family Based Therapy, Neurobiology of EDs, Cognitive
Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for EDs, and Dialectical Behavior
Therapy (DBT) for EDs. We feature speakers including Drs. Walter
Kaye, Kerri Boutelle, Liana Abascal, Terry Schwartz, Mary Ellen
Trunko, and Leslie Anderson.
UCSD Eating Disorders Center — La Jolla, CA
September 20, 27 & October 4, 11:
Leslie Anderson, Ph.D. — DBT & Eating Disorders
October 25: Leigh Cohn, M.A.T. — Males & EDs
November 1, 8, 15, 29: Kerri Boutelle, Ph.D. — Maudsley
December 13, 20 & Jan 10: Liana Abascal, Ph.D. — CBT-E
Upcoming Community Events
San Diego IAEDP - Quarterly Event
September 21st at UCSD Faculty Club in La Jolla, CA
Ovidio Bermudez, M.D., CEDS presenting on EDs & Type 1 Diabetes
Orange County IAEDP - Quarterly Event
September 23rd at National University in Costa Mesa, CA
Leslie Anderson, Ph.D. presenting on DBT Skills for the Treatment
of EDs
NEDA Conference
October 13-15th in Hollywood, CA
UCSD will be exhibiting—please come visit our booth!
F.E.A.S.T. Conference
(Families Empowered and Supporting Treatment of EDs)
November 3-4th in Alexandria, VA
Walter Kaye presenting
UCSD will be exhibiting—please come visit our booth!
Eatingdisorders.ucsd.edu
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Newsletter / Fall 2011
Family Based Treatment
One of the main focus areas of UCSD research has been regarding individualized discharge plan for participating families and
introductions to family based care providers in their areas that they
identifying efficacious treatment modalities for anorexia nervosa
may not have been aware of prior to treatment.
(AN). With the research that has been conducted we have found
Family Based Treatment (FBT) to be one of the most effective
ways to treat disordered eating.
The following is derived from a study the UCSD Research Team
conducted to explore the efficacy of FBT and was published Brief
Report: An Innovative Short Term, Intensive Family Based
Treatment for Adolescent Anorexia Nervosa: Case Series article
published in 2011 by Roxanne Rockwell, Kerri Boutelle, Mary
Ellen Trunko, M. Joy Jacobs, and Walter Kaye.
Providers attending patients who are working on recovery from AN know
that the disorder has a substantial mortality with limited effective
treatments. Traditional therapies such as CBT and dietary counseling
have shown limited efficacy on their own, plus relapse rates are high for
patients with this complex disorder.
However, according to preliminary research reports, positive results in
treatment of AN have been shown for adolescents utilizing FBT. The
Maudsley Hospital in London has been at the forefront of working with
methods that focus on short-term FBT. Their work has shown beneficial
outcomes with reduced recidivism in adolescent patients. The modalities
of FBT have been adopted by some ED treatment centers and individual
therapists in the United States but many families do not have access to
local experts in their geographic area.
Preliminary outcome data studying a weeklong Intensive Family Therapy
Program focused on FBT, has demonstrated substantial success in terms
of weight restoration and maintenance during at least nine months posttreatment. These relatively optimistic outcomes may not only benefit the
patient but the entire family, with improved understanding, communication
and capacity for growth and change.
Due to our commitment to developing treatment around empirically supported treatment models, we have made FBT an integral
part of our adolescent treatment model. In response to positive
study outcomes and requests for treatment from families
throughout the states and abroad, the UCSD Eating Disorders
Treatment Center has formulated a short-term program aimed at
helping families with limited local resources. The Intensive Family
Therapy Program is a one week comprehensive evaluation and
treatment structure, which allows families to travel from distant
locations for a brief period and gain access to the most recent
developing treatments. The Intensive Family Therapy program is
offered monthly and integrates the key components identified in
the study. Families gain valuable skills to foster recovery from AN
with treatments highlighting FBT, systematic family therapy,
parent coaching, psycho-education, behavioral contracts, practice
of coping skills and distress tolerance, in addition to evaluation of
medication needs of the patient. The program also includes an
UCSD Eating Disorders Center — La Jolla, CA
Upcoming Intensive Family Therapy Dates
for the rest of the 2011 calendar:
Weeks of:
September 19th / October 24th / November 14th
For more information on the 5-day Intensive Family Therapy
program, please contact Alyson Merchant at (858) 966-8908
or email her at amerchant@ucsd.edu.
The FBT model is not only utilized in the 5-day Intensive Family
Therapy program but is also a key component to our Adolescent
Outpatient Treatment Programs. An intensive family therapy
approach is woven throughout each of our levels of care to help
provide families with education, support and understanding to help
more directly target ED behaviors. Having a child with an ED does
not just affect the child but drastically changes the family dynamics
and inflicts all members involved. FBT will help educate and treat
the family as a whole.
Eatingdisorders.ucsd.edu
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Newsletter / Fall 2011
An Interview with Ivan Eisler, Ph.D.
This summer, the UCSD Eating
Disorders Treatment Center was
fortunate to host visiting scholar,
Dr. Ivan Eisler from Kings College
in London, England. Dr. Eisler is
well regarded as a pioneer in the
use of FBT for the treatment of
EDs and is an architect of the
Ivan Eisler, Ph.D.
Maudsley method for treatment
of adolescents with AN which originated at the Maudsley Hospital
in London. The Maudsley method has been a foundation for the
UCSD Eating Disorders Treatment Center’s “Intensive Family
Therapy for Adolescents with AN.” During his stay in San Diego,
Dr. Eisler worked with the families seeking treatment in the 5-day
Intensive Family Therapy and instructed a workshop for therapists, doctors, and staff in practical employment of FBT methods
when working with patients and their families.
According to Dr. Eisler, the Maudsley method of treatment is, at
its core, FBT that draws specifically on the provider’s expertise in
the treatment of EDs. In the past, families would often be labeled
as “dysfunctional” and their role in the treatment of the adolescent
family member was diminished. FBT has shifted this perception. It
acknowledges the usefulness of exploring the perspectives of the
family members and mobilizes the family as a resource for long
term recovery of the affected adolescent.
Increased awareness of EDs among professionals is helping
patients and families recognize the symptoms in a greater population. The previous stereotypes of EDs only affecting Caucasian,
middle class females, has been eroding. Now providers note
patients seeking help may often be younger individuals, males, as
well as people from diverse ethnic and economic backgrounds. Dr.
Eisler maintains that, “parents need to be told their child has an
illness and the child didn’t choose this illness,” reiterating that the
need for increased information for families and that there is good
evidence that families are not the cause of EDs.
— Christi Middlesworth,
(Intake Coordinator at UCSD EDC interviewed Dr. Eisler on May 17, 2011.)
Medical West Unit at
Rady Children’s Hospital
Rady Children’s Hospital and UCSD have joined forces to open
the only child and adolescent medical/psychiatric inpatient unit in
San Diego. The primary purpose of this unit is to provide multidisciplinary treatment to with comorbid medical and psychiatric
conditions, including the medical stabilization of patients with AN,
BN and related EDs. Medical West is staffed by a combination of
professionals with medical expertise and with mental health and
behavioral experience, including specialized experience with EDs.
Staff includes physicians, psychiatrists, nurses, social workers,
licensed psychiatric technicians, and dieticians.
Once admitted, the EDs team provides:
Admitting criteria may include:
Following medical stabilization, our expert team will work with the
patient and family to establish the appropriate treatment plan for
ongoing care. Our goal is to deliver the best medical, psychiatric,
and nutritional care to help the patient stabilize medically, followed
by a strong outpatient plan to ensure a successful recovery.
— Loss of weight to more than 75% of expected weight for height
based on 50th percentile for BMI for age
— Resting heart rate less than 50 bpm
— Increase in heart rate of more than 20 bpm, lying to standing
— Drop in systolic BP of more than 10, lying to standing
— Dehydration
— Electrolyte imbalance
— Family assessment, family therapy, and multi-family group
interventions
— Dietary assessment from a registered dietician and an individualized meal plan to restore weight and physical health
— Fully supervised meals
— Behavioral interventions to restore weight in anorexia and stop
the binge/purge cycle of BN
— Therapy groups using evidence-based and best practice
treatment such as DBT
Research section on next page >
UCSD Eating Disorders Center — La Jolla, CA
Eatingdisorders.ucsd.edu
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Newsletter / Fall 2011
Research Opportunities
UCSD Eating Disorder Center’s Research Program is continually
conducting various studies to advance our understanding of EDs
and to further expand our ability to find efficacious treatment.
Currently we are recruiting research participants for the following:
Women who have recovered from Anorexia and/or Bulimia
Nervosa
UCSD Eating Disorders Research Program is conducting neuroimaging studies on those recovered from AN and/or Bulimia
Nervosa (BN). This study will help us examine the neurobiology
of EDs. We are seeking women in recovery who are:
— Between ages 18-45
— Maintaining a normal height and weight
— No serious medical problems
— No current medications (birth control ok)
You may receive compensation up to $1250.00 for completion of
the studies. We may also be able to provide travel compensation
to San Diego.
If you have any questions or would like more information please
call (858) 534-8031 or email edresearch@ucsd.edu.
Interested in learning more about the
UCSD Eating Disorders Center?
If you would like more information on any of our programs or
are interested in coming for a tour, please contact:
Alyson Merchant
(858) 966-8908
(or) amerchant@ucsd.edu.
If you have any questions or would like additional information,
please contact: Laura Torres at (858) 534-8031or email
edresearch@ucsd.edu. Also, for more information about our
current studies, please take a look at our research page:
Eatingdisorders.ucsd.edu/research
Do You Live Outside of San Diego?
Apartment option available starting Mid-September
UCSD Eating Disorders Center is excited to announce we will be
opening an apartment for Adult Day Treatment patients to stay in
while they are participating in treatment at the UCSD Eating
Disorders Center. Our Adult Day Treatment Program offers a
unique opportunity for patients who are looking for support up to
10 hours a day (including all meals and snacks) and a researchbased approach incorporating skills for regulating emotion and
preventing relapse. The apartment, located less than a mile from
our treatment center, will allow us to provide services to patients
coming from outside of the San Diego area. Staying in the apartment will provide a supportive and home-like environment with
recovery-oriented peers. To inquire about the apartment, please
contact:
Christi Middlesworth
UCSD Eating Disorders Center — La Jolla, CA
(858) 534-8026
(or) cmiddlesworth@ucsd.edu.
Eatingdisorders.ucsd.edu
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