The Anorexia Diaries : A Mother and Daughter Triumph over Eating Disorders and Teenage Depression - Softcover

Linda Rio

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1405021004 ISBN 13: 9781405021005

Publisher: Rodale UK, 2003

Synopsis

Compiled from real life diaries kept by a mother and daughter, this moving book shows how one family faced up to and overcame teenage depression and eating disorders. Full of insight into specific problems, the book also illuminates the general difficulties of mother-daughter communication and the years of teenage crisis. Self-help sections for mothers and teenage girls and a chapter of professional advice complete this helpful book.

About this title

From the Inside Flap

"Last night I asked my mom some questions about bulimia and anorexia. I thought for sure she would know what I was doing to myself. How could a mother not know the terrible things her daughter was doing?"

"Tara seems fine these last few days. The questions she asked me the other night scared me. But now I think she's just curious. Maybe one of her friends is having a problem with something."

Mother and daughter, living in the same house, yet at times it seems as though they are on different planets. Tara, growing obsessive about the way she looks, feels her mom no longer understands her. Linda, while concerned about the changes her teenage daughter is going through, is focused on making a career for herself as a family therapist. Neither knows how to reverse the terrible path that Tara is heading down.

Tara's and Linda's side-by-side diaries of this difficult time, only shared with each other years later, show both sides of their maddening ordeal and inspiring victory to keep their family together.

In addition to sharing their actual diaries, Tara and Linda look back on the drama of those years to offer the wisdom and perspective that can only come with hindsight. Craig Johnson, Ph.D., an international leader in the research and treatment of eating disorders, offers useful advice and fascinating commentary on the Rios' story to inform today's families who may be going through similar situations.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Tara Rio is now the mother of two daughters and a public relations executive with a Fortune 500 company. She has publicly shared her story with support groups and professionals and at events to raise awareness of eating disorders.

Linda Rio is a licensed marriage and family therapist, based for more than 15 years in southern California. She is an adjunct faculty member in the graduate school department of psychology at California Lutheran University. Linda is the mother of Tara and a son Gregg and a grandmother of three. She lives with Lou, her husband of 34 years, in Ventura County.

Craig Johnson, Ph.D., is president of the National Eating Disorders Association and a founding member of the Academy for Eating Disorders and the Eating Disorders Research Society. He is the founder and director of the eating disorders program at Laureate Psychiatric Clinic and Hospital in Tulsa and associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine. He has authored more than 70 scientific articles and is involved in genetic studies to determine the hereditary nature of eating disorders in the largest research project currently underway in the science of eating disorders.

Jacket design by Tara Long
Jacket photo by Brad Wilson/Photonica

From the Back Cover

"I wish I had this book when I was trying to overcome my own struggle with anorexia and bulimia. Tara and Linda's courageous and dramatic story comes straight from the heart. You won't want to put it down. Dr. Craig Johnson's reassuring advice and thorough explanations take the mystery out of the illnesses. This is a very helpful and interesting book. Read it and share it with others."
--Paula Abdul, star of TV's American Idol, Emmy Award winner, and Grammy Award-winning recording artist

Tara Rio was an ordinary teenager-- good student, good athlete, good daughter. She was also good at keeping a secret. Only her diary knew. Her mom, Linda, kept secrets, too, in a diary of her own, confessing private doubts about herself, her marriage, and her ambitions for a better life. When Linda discovers her daughter's secret struggle with eating disorders, they finally find the ways to connect with each other to protect their family and steer Tara's path to recovery.

Unlike any other book, The Anorexia Diaries takes you inside the puzzling world of teenage eating disorders. Witness the real-life story through intimate journals that reveal the Rio family's darkest moments-- and greatest triumphs.

"The interwoven diaries of daughter and mother go beyond a typical autobiography and offer a poignant view of Anorexia Nervosa as it unfolds from the inside looking out. Tara and Linda's ultimate success highlights how important it is never to give up on yourself and never to give up on your children."
--Cynthia Bulik, Ph.D., president of the Academy for Eating Disorders and William R. Jordan Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

"I highly recommend this very informative and interesting book because it is so positive and yet illustrates the struggle to recovery so well. The painful and necessary steps in recovery emerge in the journal pages of mother and daughter, and Dr. Craig Johnson's insights provide an excellent understanding of the causes and treatments of eating disorders."
--Pauline Powers, M.D., president elect of the National Eating Disorders Association and founding president of the Academy for Eating Disorders

Edition details

• Publisher: Rodale UK
• Publication date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1405021004
• ISBN 13: 9781405021005
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 288