Eating Disorders

Although much has been written about anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, most of the available literature consists of either idiosyncratic single-author mono graphs or multi-authored volumes that cover many aspects of eating disorders. Filling a gap in the literature, this book represents a single-volume resource that offers a coherent review and synthesis of the current thinking and findings on these disorders. Providing the most up-to-date information available in the current literature, EATING DISORDERS focuses primarily on conceptual and empirical findings that are most relevant to clinicians who treat adolescent patients and to academics who are interested in a convenient summary of such issues.

Setting the stage for the chapters that follow, the book opens with a review of the historical development of the concepts of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. The manner in which the disorders relate to each other, to simple dieting, and to affective disorders is examined. In the chapters that review clinical features, epidemiology, and etiological findings, Hsu persuasively argues against the notion of body image disturbance, and contends instead that simple dieting and eating disorders occur on a behavioral continuum. He demonstrates that when dieting is accompanied by certain risk factors and intensified by certain adolescent issues, it provides an entree to an eating disorder.

With a particular focus on adolescent patients, Hsu then describes the evaluation process and treatment alternatives. He explicates the current diagnostic criteria of the disorders and advocates the adoption of a flexible, eclectic approach that is guided by common sense and the available empirical data. To provide an illuminating perspective for assessing treatment efforts, a review of outcome data and a discussion of the nosology of the disorders are presented. The final chapter summarizes the implications of the volume, both for primary prevention and for future research on the eating disorders.

An ideal clinical resource, especially for those who treat adolescent patients, EATING DISORDERS will be of value to psychologists, psychiatrists, and all other mental health professionals who work with clients suffering from anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Students and academics interested in the eating disorders will find it an outstanding reference.

L. K. George Hsu is Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Director of the Outpatient Eating Disorders Clinic at the Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He has published numerous articles and book chapters on the eating disorders, and has received two grants from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to study the treatment and outcome of the eating disorders.