This is a well written and easy to read
book for those with anorexia, their carer’s and families. The book
is well researched and detailed. It is practical and informative.
It isn’t a textbook but would also be of value to professionals who
work with those with anorexia. It begins by exploring the
core symptoms of anorexia and bulimia nervosa and the diagnostic
criteria for making a diagnosis. It sets the disease in a
historical context and explores some of the theories of why there
is a wide variation in incidence worldwide. It takes a wider view
of the causes of eating disorders, looking at the predisposing,
precipitating and maintaining factors.
Importantly, it focuses on the impact of eating disorders on
physical health and the role of starvation as a possible
maintaining factor for the disorder. It revisits the information
gained on the effects of starvation in the Minnesota experiments.
This is vital information for those with anorexia to understand,
explaining the role of starvation as a maintaining factor, and a
reason for the mental and physical effects of the illness. The
treatment sections are practical, with an emphasis on the
importance of weight restoration. There is a comprehensive
explanation of the types of psychological therapies available.
Finally, a chapter of prevention of relapse and life without
anorexia.
Lucy Morley