Eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder and eating disorder NOS are currently affecting younger children in far greater proportions than ever before. Therefore, Eating Disorders in Childhood and Adolescence is without doubt a huge source of both clinical information for health professionals and support for parents whose children are battling these severe and complex mental health conditions.
About Eating Disorders in Childhood and Adolescence
This book is aimed at both health professionals and parents of eating disorder sufferers, offering the reader powerful insight, knowledge and understanding about early onset cause, assessment and treatment issues. The third edition also includes additional chapters relating to the latest research and practice, including: eating disorders and the brain, nutrition and re-feeding and motivational issues in treatment.
There are three main sections, which include the following:
- Section One: Perspectives on Eating Disorders
- Section Two: Context and Cause of Early Onset Eating Disorders
- Section Three: Assessment and Treatment
Perspectives on Life with Anorexia Nervosa
The first section of the book offers the reader powerful insight into the life threatening condition of anorexia nervosa, which has the highest mortality risk of all forms of psychiatric illness. Learning about the illness from those who have spent many years treating patients is also helpful. The sufferer's perspective and the parental view of the condition enables people to understand just how complicated and severe the disease is in terms of the way it affects the life of the anorexic and all those surrounding her.
In particular, the chapter on how parents try to cope with an anorexic child in the family is extremely helpful, as many parents feel so incredibly isolated and at sea when first confronted with the condition and all that assessments and treatment entail. Parents reading the book will also learn more about how best to support their child throughout the treatment process.
Treatment for Anorexia and Bulimia and Related Eating Disorders
An especially helpful section of the book provides the reader with essential information and insight into how eating disorders may best be treated. Key approaches such as individual psychotherapy sessions, family therapy and cognitive behavioural therapy are explained in-depth. For younger sufferers of school age there is a useful chapter on schooling, which teachers and especially those working in pastoral care would greatly benefit from reading. At the back of the book, there is plenty of information on the different forms of assessment instruments and tools, thus helping parents understand the purpose of such approaches.
Due to the fact that many eating disorder sufferers have problems relating to compulsive exercise, the chapter on physiotherapy and exercise will no doubt be helpful in understanding how exercise can become part of recovery and when it is better to rest.
As highlighted above, eating disorders are affecting more young people than ever before. This book is able to offer parents vital hope and support, as well as the essential knowledge and insight necessary to understand treatment approaches required to achieve and maintain recovery. Parents seeking compulsory treatment for their child will also benefit from understanding the ethical and legal issues explained in the final chapter.
Source:
Lask, B. & Bryant-Waugh, R. (2008) Eating Disorders in Childhood and Adolescence London: Routledge
ISBN: 978-0-415-42589-6
Kate Le Page - Kate Henning-Le Page writes about eating disorders, body image and recovery issues. She specializes in anorexia recovery.
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