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1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, Laxative abuse occurs when a person attempts to | ||||||
3 | get rid of unwanted calories, lose weight, "feel thin", or | ||||||
4 | "feel empty" through the repeated, frequent use of laxatives; | ||||||
5 | and
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6 | WHEREAS, The belief that laxatives are effective for weight | ||||||
7 | control is a myth; and
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8 | WHEREAS, Often, laxatives are misused following eating | ||||||
9 | binges, when the individual mistakenly believes that the | ||||||
10 | laxatives will work to rush food and calories through the gut | ||||||
11 | and bowels before they can be absorbed; and
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12 | WHEREAS, Laxative abuse is serious and dangerous - often | ||||||
13 | resulting in a variety of health complications and sometimes | ||||||
14 | causing life-threatening conditions; and
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15 | WHEREAS, According to the National Institute of Mental | ||||||
16 | Health, 2.7% of American teens aged 13-18 suffer from a severe | ||||||
17 | eating disorder; and
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18 | WHEREAS, Research shows that 10 to 60% of people with | ||||||
19 | eating disorders also abuse laxatives; and
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1 | WHEREAS, According to a study done by the American Journal | ||||||
2 | of Psychiatry, mortality rates for eating disorders were 4% for | ||||||
3 | anorexia nervosa, 3.9% for bulimia nervosa, and 5.2% for eating | ||||||
4 | disorders not otherwise specified; and
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5 | WHEREAS, Teens who are expected to achieve significantly | ||||||
6 | low weights due to athletics have also been known to abuse | ||||||
7 | laxatives in order to reduce the water weight in their body | ||||||
8 | before performances and weigh-ins; and
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9 | WHEREAS, Laxatives as a drug have the properties of | ||||||
10 | tolerance and withdrawal, allowing users to become dependent on | ||||||
11 | them; and
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12 | WHEREAS, The Food and Drug Administration has issued a | ||||||
13 | warning about the use of sodium phosphate laxatives; and | ||||||
14 | WHEREAS, Overcoming laxative abuse requires working with a | ||||||
15 | team of health professionals who have expertise in treating | ||||||
16 | eating disorders, including a general physician, a | ||||||
17 | psychiatrist, psychologist or counselor, and a registered | ||||||
18 | dietician; therefore, be it
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19 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
20 | NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
21 | there is created the Task Force on Laxative Abuse within the |
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1 | Department of Human Services Division of Alcoholism and | ||||||
2 | Substance Abuse to develop a statewide plan to prevent the | ||||||
3 | abuse of laxatives, particularly among minors; and be it | ||||||
4 | further
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5 | RESOLVED, That the members of Task Force shall be appointed | ||||||
6 | by the Secretary of Human Services no later than July 1, 2014; | ||||||
7 | the Task Force shall include: | ||||||
8 | (1) the Director of the Department of Human Services | ||||||
9 | Division of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse or his or her | ||||||
10 | designee; | ||||||
11 | (2) the Director of the Department of Public Health or his | ||||||
12 | or her designee; | ||||||
13 | (3) the Superintendent of the State Board of Education or | ||||||
14 | his or her designee; | ||||||
15 | (4) two persons from families effected by eating disorders | ||||||
16 | or laxative abuse; | ||||||
17 | (5) two persons who are recovering from an eating disorder | ||||||
18 | or laxative abuse; | ||||||
19 | (6) two persons representing a national eating disorders | ||||||
20 | association; | ||||||
21 | (7) two persons representing statewide associations | ||||||
22 | representing nurses; | ||||||
23 | (8) two persons representing statewide education | ||||||
24 | associations; | ||||||
25 | (9) one person representing a statewide organization |
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1 | representing pediatricians; | ||||||
2 | (10) one person representing a statewide organization | ||||||
3 | representing family physicians; | ||||||
4 | (11) one person representing a statewide organization | ||||||
5 | representing psychiatrists; | ||||||
6 | (12) one person representing a statewide association | ||||||
7 | representing retailers; and | ||||||
8 | (13) one person representing a statewide association | ||||||
9 | representing merchants; and be it further | ||||||
10 | RESOLVED, That the Department of Human Services shall | ||||||
11 | facilitate the Task Force and provide the Task Force with | ||||||
12 | administrative support; the Department shall convene the Task | ||||||
13 | Force at least three times and issue a report with findings and | ||||||
14 | recommendations to the General Assembly and the Governor no | ||||||
15 | later than January 1, 2015; and be it further | ||||||
16 | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | ||||||
17 | delivered to the Governor and the Secretary of the Department | ||||||
18 | of Human Services.
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