Summary
Eating disorders involve serious disturbances in eating behavior, such as extreme and unhealthy reduction of food intake or severe overeating, as well as feelings of distress about body shape or weight. An estimated 5 to 8 million Americans—90% of them women in their teens to early adulthood—are diagnosed with an eating disorder. While eating disorders, such as anorexia, bulimia, or binge-eating, mainly affect girls and young women, these serious and potentially fatal disorders are now prevalent in children as young as nine and, increasingly, in boys and men as well. The causes of eating disorders are complex, and include physical, emotional, and social factors. Eating disorders are not simply bad habits or difficult behavior that can be controlled; they are medical conditions that require professional attention. Treatment needs vary by the individual but generally include a combination of psychotherapy and attention to medical and nutritional needs.
This helpful new guide provides a wealth of practical information on eating disorders, from their signs and symptoms to various treatment options and the consequences on daily life. Sidebars, appendixes with useful resources, and further reading guide additional exploration, and case studies and real-life examples throughout the book illustrate the impact of living with an eating disorder.
Specifications
Index. Appendixes. Glossary. Sidebars. Further reading.
About the Author(s)
Sheila A. Cooperman, M.D., is the service chief for the Eating Disorders and Adolescent Programs at Silver Hill Hospital in New Canaan, Connecticut. She received her M.D. from the American University of the Caribbean in the British West Indies. She is board-certified in psychiatry and neurology. Previously, Cooperman was medical director of the Adolescent Substance Abuse Unit at Four Winds Hospital in Katonah, New York. She has worked at New York-Presbyterian Hospital-Westchester Division on both the Substance Abuse and Adolescent Units, where she remained as a voluntary faculty member. Cooperman has published and lectured on adolescent issues including eating disorders and substance abuse. She has spoken at the American Psychiatric Association, the American Hospital Association, and the American Association of Suicidology. She has also consulted for a private chemical dependency and eating disorder program in Costa Rica.
Sara Dulaney Gilbert, M.A., is the author of more than 28 books in the fields of health, life management, education, child-raising, and personal development, including What Happens in Therapy; Ready, Set, Go; Feeling Good; and You Are What You Eat. Her articles have been published in more than a dozen national magazines including Ms., New York Times Magazine, Travel, and Scholastic. Gilbert is a graduate of Barnard College and New York University, where she earned her master's degree in education. She lives in Cold Spring, New York.