Stuck

Why we can't (or won't) move on from bad jobs, bad relationships, and bad habits, and how we can all move ahead.

by Anneli Rufus

Al Franken: Let's Eliminate Eating Disorders

Senator proposes the Federal Response to Eliminate Eating Disorders Act.

Published on April 30, 2010 by Anneli Rufus in Stuck

This is a big eating-disorders news day.

Two major celebrities have announced plans for major projects involving eating disorders -- and one of those celebrities is Oprah Winfrey.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Winfrey's cable network, OWN, will screen a series titled Inside Rehab, set within an eating-disorders treatment facility:

"The eight-episode series will document a group of patients as they undergo a 42-day recovery program. The announcement comes a day after E! announced an eating-disorder miniseries, What's Eating You?, that will air this fall and tackle common as well as bizarre eating problems."

Meanwhile, Minnesota Senator Al Franken, along with co-sponsors Sen. Amy Klobuchar (also of Minnesota), and Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa, have introduced the Federal Response to Eliminate Eating Disorders (FREED) Act.

Find a Therapist

Search for a mental health professional near you.

Find Local:

Said to be the first of its kind, the bill would require the federal government to expand research into prevention and treatment of eating disorders; improve the training and education of health care providers and educators on eating disorders; improve national monitoring and data collection on the prevalence of eating disorders; take steps to prevent eating disorders by developing evidence-based prevention programs; and provide additional avenues for effective and affordable treatment of eating disorders.

Should this be a federal issue? Could it work? Having spent several years in the grips of one of these disorders, I'm thinking "evidence-based prevention programs" sound like a good idea, because once you start ... it's darn hard to stop. If someone, anyone, had just been able to talk me out of it before I began....