Help for Eating Disorders: A Parent's Guide to Symptoms, Causes and Treatment - Softcover

Katzman MD FRCP(C), Dr. Debra K.; Pinhas MD, Dr. Leora

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0778801152 ISBN 13: 9780778801153

Publisher: Robert Rose, 2005

Synopsis

Straightforward solutions to difficult problems.

Most teenagers have a friend who has been affected by an eating disorder. Such disorders affect almost 20% of teenage girls in North America at some point in their development.

Magazines and movies constantly stress a thin body image as the defining force for popularity. The message teenagers get is that thin is the only route to popularity and happiness.

Through the Eating Disorder Program, Drs. Katzman and Pinhas, at The Hospital for Sick Children, have developed a program that helps young people and their parents deal with the problems of eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia.

First, the book shows parents how to identify an eating disorder and when to become concerned about it.

Second, there is vital information for parents on how to become informed users of the health care system and how to collaborate in their child's treatment.

Third, practical support for parents, family members and coaches enables them to participate in the recovery of a child or adolescent with an eating disorder.

Worksheets, diaries and first-person case studies assists parents and caregivers to help youth overcome an eating disorder.

About this title

About the Author

Debra K. Katzman, MD, FRCP (C) and Leora Pinhas, MD both work with the Eating Disorder Program at The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Preface

As parents, we have great hopes that our children will grow and develop into healthy young adults without experiencing any difficulties along the way. However, some young people encounter problems with their eating attitudes and behaviors. Parents become confused and worried when their children experience weight loss, avoid food, become unhappy with the way they look, fear becoming 'fat', pick at their food, go on diets, exercise excessively, feel anxious about eating, isolate themselves from family and friends, and experience anxiety and depression that seems to be related to their eating behavior. Parents are right to be concerned about these behaviors. Eating disorders are the third most common chronic condition of adolescence. Eating disorders are life-threatening if not identified and treated at an early stage.

The experience of having a child or adolescent with an eating disorder can be extremely demanding and challenging for parents. This book is designed to provide parents with practical, commonsense information on these disorders, including how to identify the signs and symptoms of an eating disorder, what kinds of treatment are effective for eating disorders, and how families, friends, and other concerned community members can assist with your child's recovery. We also offer advice on how to ask your children if they have problems with eating; what to do if they have an eating problem but insist they don't; what to do if your children assure you that they can handle the eating disorder on their own; and how to cope with your frustrations and fear.

The book is divided into three sections: diagnosis, treatment, and recovery. The first section focuses on understanding eating disorders, how they affect your child, and how best to determine if your child needs help. The second features information on the assessment and treatment of child and adolescent eating disorders. The third follows the course of recovery, focusing on what results to expect from treatment and how to manage your life and your child's life during this process.

Each chapter includes helpful case studies that bring to life specific eating disorder behaviors and attitudes. There are also two personal testimonials: one written by a parent of a young person who suffered from an eating disorder; and another by a young person who had anorexia nervosa as an adolescent and is now recovering. Many parents may see their own children mirrored in some way in these case studies and testimonials. They may gain courage from these personal accounts. These stories also remind us how emotionally challenging these disorders can be for parents and children.

Being a parent of a child with an eating disorder is a difficult job, but so is being a child or adolescent struggling with an eating disorder. We trust this book will provide you with practical information, support, and comfort as you and your child work through the process of diagnosis, treatment, and recovery.

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Help for Eating Disorders is written by an experienced interdisciplinary team of pediatric and adolescent medicine clinicians, including pediatricians, psychiatrists, dietitians, social workers, nurses, and psychologists. These experts combine the latest medical research with their extensive experience in treating children with eating disorders and counseling children and families.

Edition details

• Publisher: Robert Rose
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0778801152
• ISBN 13: 9780778801153
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 224