News Release
PHOENIX, Arizona, July 27, 2006 — Ten million women and girls in the U.S. suffer from eating disorders and more people die from anorexia each year than from any other mental illness. Fortunately, for those individuals and families affected by eating disorders, help is available and recovery is possible.
"Our current recovery rates are 99 percent for adults with anorexia and 93 percent for adults with bulimia," said Edward Cumella, PhD, executive director of performance management at Remuda Ranch Programs for Eating Disorders. "Our patients report dramatic improvement in eating disorder symptoms, depression, anxiety, spiritual distress and other issues by the time they leave our treatment center." The good news for eating disorder sufferers, is that these recovery rates are higher than the recovery rates for other forms of eating disorder treatment measured in the past.
Remuda Ranch’s standardized measurements reveal the average patient has a severe eating disorder and moderate to severe depression upon admission. By discharge, her responses on the same measurements are similar to those of someone who has never had an eating disorder and isn’t depressed. (Remuda’s outcome results have been audited by a third party, Evaluation Management Training – EMT).
Recovery doesn’t mean a woman or girl will never struggle with food related issues again, but it does indicate great improvement. An individual is considered in recovery when she no longer has a diagnosable eating disorder, her personal relationships have improved and she is functioning more effectively at work or in school.
Additional recovery rates from Remuda Ranch include: 99 percent for adolescents with anorexia and 94 percent for adolescents with bulimia. In questionnaires, parents of former patients independently supported and validated the excellent recovery indicated by their daughters.
"Our success can be attributed to a range of components in our treatment program," adds Cumella. "For example, we have a core team of six healthcare professionals working with each patient, a superb staff-to-patient ratio of 3.5 to 1 and a strong focus on spiritual growth."
As a Christian organization, Remuda Ranch recognizes spiritual growth as an important part of recovery. The treatment center’s focus on spirituality helps patients of all faiths. Patients of all faiths have equally high recovery rates.
"Our goal for all patients is two-fold," said Cumella. "We want to eliminate the eating disorder as the central focus of their lives and help them deal effectively with any co-occurring problems. But, we also want more. We want every woman, adolescent and child to leave Remuda with a new positive outlook on life; to feel good about today and have hope for tomorrow."
About Remuda Ranch Programs for Eating Disorders
Remuda Ranch is a caring place for women and girls who are suffering from eating disorders and related issues. Remuda Treatment Programs offer Christian inpatient and residential treatment for women and girls of all faiths suffering from an eating disorder. Each patient is treated by a multi-disciplinary team including a Psychiatric and a Primary Care Provider, Registered Dietitian, Masters Level therapist, Psychologist and Registered Nurse. The professional staff equips each patient with the right tools to live a healthy, productive life.
For more information, call 1-800-445-1900 or visit www.remudaranch.com
Former Madison resident Sandy Richardson is executive director of the Remuda Foundation.