To this incredible community,
It has been several years since I have written about this petition. We garnered over 20,000 signatures when I first posted this call to action. What an accomplishment! I was blown away by the support!
When covid hit shortly after, my attention was redirected to the surge of people suffering with eating disorders needing treatment. It was overwhelming. We were already in a crisis before Covid; what came during and after Covid was unthinkable.
I thought about closing this petition but couldn’t. I thought “it’s been too long.” But I couldn’t let go, not with so many of us pushing for the same things.
I cannot ignore the number of people who reach out to me on a regular basis who continue to be excluded from eating disorder programs and labeled as “resistant” or “unmotivated”. I have numerous reports and documents related to hospital programs refusing treatment to those with co-occurring autism, suicide, or self-injury. One programs stated that a patient seeking treatment was “too high risk” for inpatient care because they suffered with chronic suicidal behaviors. Many of the people we treat in my clinic are turned away from traditional programs or are “discharged” soon after admission for being “difficult”, “unwilling to change”, or “manipulative”.
Just last week, an article was posted in the Winnipeg Free Press highlighting the dire circumstances surrounding a woman with an ED, autism, and cognitive disabilities: https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2024/07/23/i-cannot-watch-my-daughter-die
Most concerning to me is the proposed criteria for “terminal anorexia” put forth in 2022. A few key points:
1. Current evidence-based treatments were not designed for individuals with multiple co-occurring conditions. They were not designed to treat chronic suicidality, pervasive emotional and interpersonal difficulties, or manage multiple high-risk behaviours.
2. Current treatments are not equipped to support neurodiversity, and most are not considered safe or accessible to marginalized groups.
3. When people do not respond to treatments that were never designed for them in the first place, they are labeled as unmotivated, resistant, or difficult to treat.
4. This SAME GROUP is now being considered for terminal status.
I cannot ignore this.
I will continue to use this platform to advocate for change in the ED treatment environment.
It is not enough to focus on CBT and FBT as the only available options. Our clients deserve more diverse care pathways, co-constructed views of recovery, a greater focus on dialectics as a way to move forward, and more openness to harm reduction efforts.
Your signature matters.
Thank you for doing this with me.
Anita
xo