THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, July 29, 1995 TAG: 9507280008
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A10 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 38 lines
Regarding ``Experts urge special care for teens with anorexia, bulimia'' (Daily Break, July 18):
As stated in the article, the tendency for adolescents, especially for girls, to develop eating disorders is quite high. Although only a small percentage actually go on to be diagnosed with anorexia nervosa or bulimia based on traditional criteria, many others exhibit the obsessional thought processes and eating patterns characteristic of the eating disorder without the dramatic weight loss. It is with this group that outpatient intervention, both medical and psychological, is most effective. Once the profound weight loss has occurred, anything less than inpatient treatment at a unit with a multidisciplinary team approach will probably not be successful.
Unfortunately, in the immediate Hampton Roads area there is no such inpatient facility for teens with eating disorders. In fact, there are very few therapists and counselors qualified or experienced to address this issue. I have been frustrated numerous times in my adolescent-medicine practice over the past four years by the lack of mental-health providers in this region who feel comfortable working with adolescents with eating disorders. Perhaps the local medical and mental-health communities need to put their collective minds together to adequately address this ever-increasing teen health problem.
JAMES J. CHUN, M.D.
Lieutenant Commander, U.S. Navy
Adolescent Health Services
Naval Medical Center
Portsmouth, July 18, 1995 by CNB