F.E.A.S.T. prepares for NEDA meeting in New York

F.E.A.S.T. will be an exhibitor at the upcoming NEDA conference in New York in October, and many of our board members and volunteers will be there. Let us know if you will be attending if you would like to be on our email list for a list of opportunities to meet other families and F.E.A.S.T. staff and volunteers. Please plan to come by our table, and feel free to Skype message our Executive Director at laura.collins.ewya during the conference if you would like to find the "Moveable FEAST" wherever we have gathered.

We have an informal policy that "No parent eats alone (unless they want to)" which also goes for drinking and walks on the Promenade. We've got a big contingent of F.E.A.S.T. families and friends coming to the conference (25+ so far) and we enjoy networking and introducing people to one another and seeing relationships develop.You are welcome to join us!

Miami Herald story on the Maudsley approach quotes F.E.A.S.T. families

Some families from F.E.A.S.T.'s Speaker's Bureau were interviewed for a piece today on Family-Based Maudsley therapy in the Miami Herald:

Attack on anorexia: Maudsley treatment puts parents in charge

New "Plate Drive" fundraiser on the Around The Dinner Table online forum

The Around the Dinner Table forum is a vibrant online community of parents that has been around since 2004 in various forms and names. This popular service supports parents of eating disorder patients around the world with a message of empowerment, love, and evidence-based treatment.

In the month of June, ATDT members will be writing messages on plates to be displayed on the F.E.A.S.T. site, with a donation of at least $1 per word. We look forward to inspirational words, personal tributes, and some of the inside jokes that make the ATDT community so friendly.

The campaign will run from June 1-30:

http://feast-ed.org/2010platedrive.html 

Beth Mayer of MEDA joins F.E.A.S.T. Advisory Panel

We are pleased to welcome Beth Mayer, CEO of the Multi-service Eating Disorder Association as the newest member of F.E.A.S.T.'s Advisory Panel.

A new moderator added at the Around the Dinner Table Forum

F.E.A.S.T. is delighted to announce the addition of Colleen to the moderator team for our online forum, AroundTheDinnerTable.org . Colleen joins an international group of seven experienced parent mentors who watch over the forum's administration.

The forum has supported parents of eating disorder patients since 2004 and helped create the community that went on to begin F.E.A.S.T.

Our moderating team helps to direct parents to good information, provide a supportive environment, and give feedback to F.E.A.S.T. on the needs and interests of the parent community.

We welcome longtime member, Colleen, and thank her for her ongoing contribution of wisdom and experience to to the team and the community!

Live update from MEDA conference in Massachusetts

Live update from the MEDA conference, where F.E.A.S.T. volunteer M.B. Krohel is standing behind our exhibit next to MEDA's Beth Mayer RIGHT NOW.

Proposed ED-NOS changes in the APA's DSM-V

This week the F.E.A.S.T. Board of Directors submitted a statement of support for recommendations made in a recent article in the journal, Pediatrics.

"F.E.A.S.T. Board votes to support changes to ED-NOS classification in the DSM-V"

More F.E.A.S.T. Position Statements

WCEDCA recommendations for the DSM-V

The F.E.A.S.T. Board of Directors has unanimously voted to support the recommendations of the Workgroup for Classification of Eating Disorders in Children and Adolescents (WCEDCA) for proposed revisions to the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual.

The APA’s DSM is a tool used by clinicians and researchers around the world to diagnose and study psychiatric illness. The DSM also influences public policy and consumer understanding of these complex conditions. As a parent organization, F.E.A.S.T. recognizes the importance of the DSM in how our children are treated and in how insurance and public funding for research is determined."

For the full statement:
F.E.A.S.T. supports proposed changes to the DSM recommended by the Workgroup for Classification of Eating Disorders in Children and Adolescents

Meet other families at the MEDA conference in Massachusetts

F.E.A.S.T. volunteer, M.B. Krohel, will represent F.E.A.S.T. as an exhibitor at the MEDA Conference April 30-May 1, 2010. Parents and family are invited to attend a special luncheon hosted by Krohel and MEDA's CEO, Beth Mayer, on Friday, April 30. F.E.A.S.T. members are also encouraged to contact Krohel for information about an informal opportunity to get together on Thursday evening for dinner.


• MEDA Conference announcement
• Luncheon invitation
• Contact M.B. Krohel, chair of F.E.A.S.T. Medical Training Task Force

MEDA Family and Friends event April 30

For families attending the MEDA conference in Massachusetts April 30, please click to see an invitation to a luncheon hosted by MEDA and F.E.A.S.T. representative, M.B. Krohel.

Three board members attend EDIC in London

Three of F.E.A.S.T.'s board of directors attended the first Eating Disorders International Conference held in London by b-eat.

A conference report is available on the website and Laura Collins posted a personal account of the trip on her blog.

HONcode designation

We were delighted to learn this week that F.E.A.S.T. earned HONcode designation.

From the HON website:

HON has been created for improving the quality of information intended to both patients and medical professionals for facilitating quick access to the most relevant and up-to-date medical discoveries.

HONcode is the oldest and the most used ethical and trustworthy code for medical and health related information available on Internet.The HONcode is designed for two target audiences: the general public and the web publisher, actively involving the site owner in the process of certification. The HON Foundation is a Non-Governmental Organization, internationally known for its pioneering work in the field of health information ethics, notably for the establishment of its code of ethical conduct, the HONcode. The HONcode is the most widely accepted reference for online health and medical publishers. Currently the HONcode is used by over 6,800 certified websites, covering 118 countries.

HON web site http://www.healthonnet.org/ is visited by 27,000 visitors world-wide per day.

F.E.A.S.T. featured on EmpowerHer site

Mary Sorenberger, a columnist at EmpowerHer, featured F.E.A.S.T. today:

F.E.A.S.T. Will Support You

F.E.A.S.T. quoted on ABCnews.com story on Obama story

F.E.A.S.T. Executive Director, Laura Collins, was quoted today in an ABC News story: Michelle Obama's Obesity Comments

"We've confused health and weight in a way that's very confusing for children and very confusing for parents," (Collins) Lyster-Mensh said. "When we speak publicly about putting our children on a diet, we start to get into weight stigma and confusing the message to families."

The focus on obesity, (Collins) Lyster-Mensh said, turns this into an issue of appearances, which does not bode well for children, especially girls.

..."Dieting is a gateway drug to eating disorders for those with a biological predisposition to eating disorders."

New Moderator at Around the Dinner Table online forum

Today we are delighted to welcome a new moderator to the Around the Dinner Table online forum. Mamame is a wonderful asset to the "Mod Squad" team and we are so grateful to her for her caring attention to fellow families and her skills at finding relevant research articles and links.

Welcome, Mamame!

Full disclosure

We hope all of our members will take note of our most recent Position Statement on “Full Disclosure.” We believe all families deserve to know what type of treatment their loved one is being offered and what evidence exists to support it. Informed families can make better judgments to support a family member’s care.

If you are currently researching care for a loved one, please use this document to better understand the issues and discuss them with your caregivers. Please let F.E.A.S.T. know if you have a story of having been fully informed at the outset of care, and how that affected the course of treatment. Please also let us know if you did NOT feel you received this kind of information and if that affected care.

F.E.A.S.T. Radio debut

Listen to F.E.A.S.T. directors and members in our New Year call-in radio show available online:

www.FEAST-ED.org

(Special guest appearance by our Executive Director's daughter!)

Lunch with F.E.A.S.T.

Lunch with F.E.A.S.T. - Happy New Year!

Join F.E.A.S.T. for lunch!

A live call-in radio show this week where you can call in from around the world to talk with F.E.A.S.T. Board members and ask questions about the history and hopes of the organization and the world of parent activism. Learn more about eating disorders and what parents can do!

January 15, 12 noon Eastern time in the US.

Call in by phone or on line, listen online as well.

(Show will be recorded and available online after taping.)

F.E.A.S.T. Board Supports E.D.C. Talking Points

The F.E.A.S.T. Board of Directors voted this week to state our support for the Eating Disorder Coalition's recent publication:

We Urge You To Oppose Mandatory BMI Reporting In The Schools

The talking points state that these school screenings:

• Lack a research basis
• Duplicate health measurements best pursued in the context of a physician's care
• Lack meaningful follow-up
• Could do harm
• Could initiate unhealthy eating and activity associated with the development of an eating disorder
• Could encourage bullying and teasing

F.E.A.S.T. calls on parents to educate themselves about these programs and speak up to school officials about these well-meaning but potentially harmful initiatives.

December membership drive - new levels of support

Are you a F.E.A.S.T. member? If you are, check your email.

Membership in F.E.A.S.T. is free of charge, as are all of our services, but we do need financial support to do our work. Although we are all volunteers and all our indirect costs are donated, there are website, insurance, travel, and administrative costs to cover every month.

We need your help! In the month of December we are asking our supporters to become Supporting Members or Founding Members of our organization.

www.feast-ed.org/feast/joinfeast.html
if you are not yet a member
http://www.feast-ed.org/upgrademembership.html
to upgrade your membership

Being a member at any level lets us know who we serve, and lets the world know that parents are joining together to press for improved treatment and family involvement in treatment. Join us at whatever level you can!