Eating Disorders: Everything You Need to Know (Your Personal Health)

Revised and updated.

In a society where people have access to healthy, nutritious food, why do so many -- especially girls and young women - develop eating disorders that can lead to illness, psychological anguish, organ damage and death?

This revised and updated edition of Eating Disorders provides expert advice on the causes, effects and treatment of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating and a host of less familiar eating disorders. The authoritative text is non-technical and accessible.

Topics include:

• Early warning signs
• Genetic predisposition
• Feeding disorders of infancy and early childhood
• Complicating factors such as pregnancy, diabetes and substance abuse
• The recovery process
• Updated medical and psychological treatment options
• Practical tips on how family and friends can help.

The book is organized into the following chapters:

• Anorexia Nervosa
• Bulimia Nervosa
• Other Eating Disorders
• Factors That Complicate Eating Disorders
• Understanding Eating Disorders
• Medical Treatment
• Medications That May Help
• Psychological Treatment
• The Road to Recovery.

Supplemented by case studies and personal insights from men and women recovering from these conditions, Eating Disorders is an intelligent, sensitive guide to a complex and disturbingly common problem.

Jim Kirkpatrick, MD is a family physician who has been treating eating disorders for more than fifteen years. Dr. Kirkpatrick is a member of the Academy for Eating Disorders.

Paul Caldwell, MD, CCFP(C) has been a family practitioner for twenty-five years. Dr. Caldwell is the author of Sleep.