“Destroy the old you, before it destroys you. It’s not about erasing your history, but rather rewriting it with intention, resilience, and newfound strength. Break down the barriers that prevent you from becoming the best version of yourself. Strive to be better tomorrow than you were today.”

• Author Unknown

The book on 2024 is closed and has been placed on the shelf.

Certainly, the book on the Academy for Eating Disorders (“AED”) is closed. In every way possible.

Its flaws and faults are many. Financially being taken advantage of by its “management company” and doing nothing. Emphasizing a radical, leftist agenda. A cowardly refusal to address corruption in the mental health community. A parochial self-important view. All these factors have conspired to push AED to the brink of extinction.

When Your Management Company Holds You Ransom

Virtual, Inc. is AED’s “management company.”

Virtual advertises that it provides the following services: “Our comprehensive services include finance and accounting; global events management; group secretariat support; HR services; leadership and operations consulting; membership management; marketing and creative services; certification and licensure management; communications; and cutting-edge technology solutions.”

So how has Virtual performed?

Under Virtual’s “leadership,” from 2020 through 2023, AED has reported a total combined loss of -$658,156.00.

For this cataclysmic financial performance, Virtual charged AED fees in the amount of $1,780,836.00.

Again …

A financial loss of -$658,156.00.

Management fees of $1,780,836.00.

Ponder that level of incompetence. Of professional negligence. Of malfeasance. And yet, AED stands idly by letting this financial drain happen, year, after year, after year, after year.

After one year alone of having a management company underperform resulting in a six-figure loss to an organization, that organization would undoubtedly take an exhaustive due diligence examination of the management company. But four consecutive years? And to have management fees be approximately three times the loss sustained by AED under that management company’s incompetence? Any rational organization would have long ago unleashed its legal counsel on that management company with the instructions to go medieval on that company.

But AED? It whistles by the graveyard. It does nothing. It continues to allow itself to be exploited and abused.  And we are justified in asking one question. A one-word question. That question is … Why?

Even still, AED’s issues and troubles are multifaceted.

AED’s Tribal Echo Chamber is of the Highest Importance

AED has been overrun by radical leftists who place their own outlandish political and social justice beliefs over people who suffer from eating disorders. Even over the financial welfare of its own organization.

In July 2024, AED announced its international conference (“ICED”) was going to take place in San Antonio, Texas in May 2025. In this announcement, AED broadcast its intention of using eating disorders as a platform upon which they intended to continue to propagate its radical political agenda over the priority of research of eating disorders.

AED stated:

“While Board members were excited at the opportunity, there was much concern for the comfort and safety of our attendees considering the political climate in the state of Texas.” 

“We understand and respect that some of you will make the decision not to attend ICED 2025 due to its location. We hope that you will continue to support AED, and perhaps consider a donation to one of the many grass roots organizations in San Antonio fighting for equality. Thank you.”

Good Lord. I cannot even begin to fathom how a mental health organization could understand, let alone respect a fear based, cowardly, irrational decision prioritizing a person’s blind allegiance to a political party over their chosen profession.

AED chose to foster a fear based, ideological platform before everything else. To say that AED has betrayed all families who suffer from eating disorders would be charitable.

So, let’s expose the irrationality of AED’s fear based, political agenda and observe its continued march toward irrelevancy and obsolescence.

The Bear is Blue

With regard to ICED in San Antonio, presumably, the AED “professionals” are concerned for their safety and welfare because a majority of Texans voted for Donald Trump for president. Perhaps they believe that all Republicans, or all who voted for President-Elect Trump are inherently evil.

And yet, one of the many things these AED “professionals” got wrong is they did not consider that Bexar County, the county in which San Antonio is located, is overwhelmingly blue… it is a Democratic stronghold. (Oh, and for clarity’s sake, Bexar is pronounced either “Bear” or “Bair,” your choice.)

Let’s review how the denizens of Bexar County voted in the last 5 presidential elections;’:

In 2024, Kamala Harris received 54.9% of the vote in Bexar County;

In 2020, Joe Biden received 58.2% of the vote in Bexar County;

In 2016, Hillary Clinton received 54.6% of the vote in Bexar County;

In 2012, Barack Obama received 51.56% of the vote in Bexar County;

In 2008, Barack Obama received 52.41% of the vote in Bexar County.

Every judge presiding over the district courts in Bexar County (district courts are the courts in which civil and criminal lawsuits are first heard) is a Democrat. Many of these judges ran unopposed.

The mayor, the district attorney, and the county sheriff are all Democrats. 3 of the 4 county commissioners are Democrats. The 4^th is a graduate of the Naval Academy, is a 4^th generation military veteran, flew the F-18 fighter jet for 10 years during his tours of duty, graduated with an MBA from Wharton and is married with three children. What a scoundrel!

This information raises a number of questions. Why exactly are the members of AED concerned for their safety and welfare when they will be visiting an incredibly diverse city in which Hispanics comprise 59% of the population and the vast majority of the citizens are Democrats?

And why does AED “respect” the decision of its members who choose not to attend because of their narrow political views? If someone can supply an answer which is more accurate that “idiocy,” by all means, let us know.

AED’s short-sightedness is further demonstrated on its DEI position. Society has self-corrected on this topic. DEI is yesterday’s news.

In 2023 – 2024, rational people and companies decided that the quality and integrity of its product were of the utmost importance.  Companies like Google, Meta, Walmart, Ford, John Deere, Lowe’s, Harley-Davidson, Molson Coors, Boeing, Toyota, Microsoft and many other companies are scaling back or eliminating their DEI programs. Numerous universities throughout the United States are eliminating DEI programs.

They understand that equal opportunity does not mean equal results.

But AED? No.

AED is doubling down on DEI.  It still has its DEI Advisory Committee. This Committee’s purpose is: “The Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Committee is responsible for helping move both our organization and our field in the direction of being more diverse, equitable, and inclusive and strengthening our organization’s policies, initiatives, and programs.”

Notice there is nothing about improving the quality of research being conducted. There is nothing about improving the quality and professionalism of AED’s members. There is nothing about how families will benefit from this Committee.

And still, AED members are concerned about their welfare and safety in San Antonio? Really? While AED is being systematically, financially abused every year to the point of bankruptcy? While AED elevates their social justice clown show over the needs of those who are suffering?

Speaking of Abuse and Misconduct

Perhaps because AED is a victim of financial abuse, AED refuses to speak out on other aspects of abuse and neglect perpetrated against our most vulnerable population. However, AED does embrace those causes which coincide with their radical vision.

On June 5, 2020, AED released a position paper announcing its solidarity with Black Lives Matter and offered insights into tackling “systemic anti-Black racism and White Supremacy within the eating disorder field.”

Click to access AED_Statement_on_Black_Lives_Matter.pdf

It should come as no surprise that when the corruption within the leadership of the Black Lives Matter movement was exposed, and the Black Lives Matter movement crumbled and became a shell of that which it aspired to be, AED, as a leftist political organization remained radio silent.

https://www.heritage.org/progressivism/commentary/reckoning-black-lives-matter

And yet, what is surprising is that as more and more corruption within the mental health and eating disorder fields is exposed by the legacy media, AED again chooses to do and say … nothing.

Corruption, Corruption and AED remains both mute and moot.

The widespread corruption at Acadia Healthcare cannot be denied. Our most vulnerable loved ones are being exploited and in some instances, abused, raped or killed. And still, AED does nothing. And says nothing.

Acadia Healthcare owns McCallum Place, Montecatini, Carolina House and Timberline Knolls. These “treatment centers” allegedly attempt to treat eating disorders.  Acadia is a publicly traded company which may end up as the most corrupt mental health organization in United States history.

2024 was catastrophic for Acadia. Acadia was eviscerated by the Senate Finance Committee in a damning report in June 2024 evidencing deceit and systemic abuse of patients; the New York Times published a comprehensive article evidencing that Acadia was committing many wrongful and/or unethical acts towards patients; Acadia agreed to pay a $19.8 million fine to the Department of Justice and three states; Acadia agreed to pay another $1.38 million to the United States because of Acadia’s misconduct directed toward employees; the Veteran’s Administration announced it was conducting its own investigation into Acadia; the New York Times published a second report on Acadia evidencing that Acadia methadone clinics fraudulently billed Medicaid and other insurers for therapy sessions that did not take place, some clinics accepted patients who were not addicted to opioids to boost patient volume, and dozens of current and former employees at Acadia clinics in 22 states told the Times the clinics sometimes failed to provide adequate counseling to patients receiving treatment for opioid use disorder. 

There are now at least four lawsuits filed against Acadia by disgruntled, angry investors. These lawsuits claim that Acadia, as a matter of its business practices and on a corporate wide basis, perpetrated widespread fraudulent acts and engaged in acts of misconduct and malfeasance. In August of 2024, a civil case was filed alleging that one of Timberline Knolls employees raped a patient in May of this year.

Rape. Sexual abuse. Emotional abuse. Mental Abuse. Fraud on the government. Fraud on families. And in response to the numerous investigations, fines, settlement agreements, lawsuits and patients being abused, all of which impacted Acadia’s volume and revenue growth, Acadia’s Chief Financial Officer, Heather Dixon stated, “If lower volumes persist, Acadia will reduce facility-level costs accordingly.” That means, the higher paid employees, i.e., medical doctors being laid off.

Profits, profits above all else.

And still, AED does and says nothing. And we must wonder … why?

After all, there is precedence for taking action. When Michael Jacksa’s widespread physical and sexual abuse was exposed at Timberline Knolls, the National Eating Disorder Association returned Timberline Knolls’ annual financial contribution of $10,000.00.  NEDA refused Timberline Knolls/Acadia’s dirty money.

However, at ICED 2025, as some AED “professionals” cower in fear concerned for their safety and welfare, undoubtedly Acadia and its subsidiaries, McCallum, Montecatini, Carolina House and Timberline Knolls will proudly display their wares in AED’s exhibit hall. At $3,500 per exhibit table, Acadia will undoubtedly be contributing at least $17,500 to AED’s coffers. [How else will Virtual be paid?]

We have various names for that conduct.  Accepting dirty money. Hypocrisy. Lack of integrity. AED refuses to speak out against systemic abuse in the mental health community and all the while is accepting money from a corrupt corporation which abuses patients and has paid hundreds of millions of dollars to resolve lawsuits based on that abuse.

And yet, AED is not finished with its journey leading to its inevitable destruction. Nonetheless, the time has long since passed for AED to either take a stand with those who are abused and fight against corruption … or be part of the scandals, abuse and horrific conduct by cooperating with the perpetrators.

Ethics, Ethics Everywhere and None of it for …?

Since AED will not come to the mountain, the mountain will come to AED.

AED has an Ethics Committee. It’s long past time for AED to start utilizing it. Within one week, information regarding Acadia, its dirty practices and sordid conduct will be submitted to AED’s Ethics Committee. And AED will be faced with what should be a “no-brainer” decision.

AED can choose to support those who are victims by Acadia’s nefarious, illicit conduct. Or they can stand in solidarity with Acadia. Acadia, who abuses the system. Acadia, who abuses our most vulnerable population. Acadia, who abuses and removes hope. Acadia, who abuses and who removes … life.

But choose AED must … and will. And we will know the direction AED chooses. And the ramifications of that choice will determine whether AED remains a viable entity … until at least Virtual gets through with it.