Episode 52: Dr. Kim Dennis (Part 2)

Dr. Kim, as she is known, has been treating addictions (substance, process, and food), mood disorders, eating disorders, PTSD, and personality disorders for more than a decade. In 2016 she co-founded SunCloud Health and currently serves as Chief Medical Officer and CEO.

Kim Dennis, MD, CEDS is a board-certified psychiatrist who specializes in treating addictions (substance, process, and food), eating disorders, and co-occurring disorders. She has helped thousands of remarkable people with their illnesses. Her knowledge of eating disorders and addiction isn’t just limited to her academic and clinical experience, having had her own personal experience as a woman in recovery from an eating disorder and alcoholism. Today, she can combine her personal journey with her medical training to help SunCloud Health patients become emotionally strong, responsible problem-solvers, who are inspired to create fulfilling lives for themselves. She believes in and maintains a holistic perspective in the practice of psychiatry, incorporating biological, psycho-social, and spiritual approaches into the individually tailored treatment programs for each patient at SunCloud Health.

Dr. Dennis obtained her medical degree from the University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Medicine, and completed her psychiatry residency training at the University of Chicago Hospitals, where she served as chief resident. During her training, she was part of the multi-disciplinary eating disorders team specializing in treating young people with eating disorders and their families.

She is a member of the American Medical Association, the Academy for Eating Disorders, the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry, and the American Society for Addiction Medicine. She is published in the areas of gender differences in the development of psychopathology, co-occurring eating disorders and self-injury, and the use of medication with family-based therapy for young people with anorexia nervosa. She is also on the editorial board of Eating Disorders: The Journal of Treatment and Prevention. Dr. Dennis contributes regularly to news networks, such as ABC News and CNN, other national press such as the Huffington Post, Chicago Tribune, Boston Globe, and Web MD, and professional magazines such as Addiction Professional and Behavioral Healthcare. She is a monthly columnist for It’s All in the Journey magazine and was recently featured on TLC Discovery Channel’s “My Strange Addiction” and ABC’s “20/20.” Dr. Kim has a regular blog called, “Live Free”.

In this episode:

Medications to treat Food Addiction

Pros/Cons for medication interventions

Conversations with medical providers

Professionals need to work together on these issues

Bariatric options

Hope for remission and solution for this disease

Will Food Addiction ever be acknowledged?

Will ED ever acknowledge FA is real?

What research is still needed?

Spirituality

Body Image

 Contact Dr. Kim:

Website: https://suncloudhealth.com/

Contact: drkim@suncloudhealth.com

The content of our show is educational only. It does not supplement or supersede the professional relationship and direction of your healthcare provider. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified mental health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition, substance use disorder, or mental health concern.