Decoding Anorexia

Decoding Anorexia is the first and only book to explain anorexia nervosa from a biological point of view. Its clear, user-friendly descriptions of the genetics and neuroscience behind the disorder is paired with first person descriptions and personal narratives of what biological differences mean to sufferers. Author Carrie Arnold, a trained scientist, science writer, and past sufferer of anorexia, speaks with clinicians, researchers, parents, other family members, and sufferers about the factors that make one vulnerable to anorexia, the neurochemistry behind the call of starvation, and why it’s so hard to leave anorexia behind. She also addresses: • How environment is still important and influences behaviors • The characteristics of people at high risk for developing anorexia nervosa • Why anorexics find starvation “rewarding” • Why denial is such a salient feature, and how sufferers can overcome it Carrie also includes interviews with key figures in the field who explain their work and how it contributes to our understanding of anorexia. Long thought to be a psychosocial disease of fickle teens, this book alters the way anorexia is understood and treated and gives patients, their doctors, and their family members hope.

Decoding Anorexia is the first and only book to explain anorexia nervosa from a biological point of view. Its clear, user-friendly descriptions of the genetics and neuroscience behind the disorder is paired with first person descriptions and personal narratives of what biological differences mean to sufferers. Author Carrie Arnold, a trained scientist, science writer, and past sufferer of anorexia, speaks with clinicians, researchers, parents, other family members, and sufferers about the factors that make one vulnerable to anorexia, the neurochemistry behind the call of starvation, and why it's so hard to leave anorexia behind. She also addresses: - How environment is still important and influences behaviors - The characteristics of people at high risk for developing anorexia nervosa - Why anorexics find starvation "rewarding" - Why denial is such a salient feature, and how sufferers can overcome it Carrie also includes interviews with key figures in the field who explain their work and how it contributes to our understanding of anorexia. Long thought to be a psychosocial disease of fickle teens, this book alters the way anorexia is understood and treated and gives patients, their doctors, and their family members hope.

This second edition updates the 1983 work ("a gem"--Booklist) with a wealth of new information. The author, a therapist and recovered anorexic, draws upon her own experience and extensive research to produce a comprehensive account of the symptoms, causes and treatments of anorexia nervosa. She illuminates the anorexic's paradox--self-annihilation in service of self-preservation--and the central task of recovery: development of a Self. The author addresses the origins and attributes of anorexia and accompanying disorders, the use and misuse of the Internet, and the concept of recovery. She addresses different therapies in detail, as well as therapies for families and interventions. A directory of organizations, a list of resources for information and referral, a bibliography and index are included.

Explains the kind of communication problems that can happen between someone suffering from an eating disorder and their caretakers, physicians, and counselors.

Ten-Mile Morning is a true story about a man's battle to overcome his five-year struggle with anorexia nervosa. Ultimately, however, this is a story of hope and recovery. This moving memoir will inspire you as it affirms that life after eating disorders is one of self-acceptance, self-realization, and self-respect.

“One of the most up to date, relevant, and honest accounts of one family’s battle with the life threatening challenges of anorexia. Brown has masterfully woven science, history, and heart throughout this compelling and tender story.” —Lynn S. Grefe, Chief Executive Officer, National Eating Disorders Association “As a woman who once knew the grip of a life-controlling eating disorder, I held my breath reading Harriet Brown’s story. As a mother of daughters, I wept for her. Then cheered.” —Joyce Maynard, author of Labor Day In Brave Girl Eating, the chronicle of a family’s struggle with anorexia nervosa, journalist, professor, and author Harriet Brown recounts in mesmerizing and horrifying detail her daughter Kitty’s journey from near-starvation to renewed health. Brave Girl Eating is an intimate, shocking, compelling, and ultimately uplifting look at the ravages of a mental illness that affects more than 18 million Americans.

This practical resource guide shares essential information and personal stories from eating disorder survivors, family members, caretakers, and others. When someone you love is in the throes of an eating disorder, it can be difficult to believe recovery is possible. By Their Side offers help and hope to those fighting alongside a loved one in the struggle against this heartbreaking illness. Providing first-hand testimony, scientific expertise, resources, and actionable guidance, the book serves as a lifeline for both the individual coping with the disease and those struggling to give them the right support. Written collectively under the name Lara Lyn Bell, By Their Side draws together the diverse stories of families, friends, doctors, therapists, caregivers, and recovered eating disorder advocates. The Lara Lyn Bell collective speaks together to emphasize the insidious, cross-cultural impact of this life-or-death issue. As a result of their united anonymity, By Their Side mirrors the reader’s story as they connect with the shared challenges, successes, and perspectives on their journey to healing.

Eating disorders are perplexing, frustrating, and seem to make no sense to the families and friends of sufferers. The intent of this book is to explain why your loved one has an eating disorder so that you can understand these baffling disorders and help in the recovery process. Throughout the book you are taken into the world of eating disorders, shown what anorexia and bulimia mean to sufferers, and how they live day to day'obsessed with thoughts of calories, fat, body size, and weight. First, the reader is given an introduction to anorexia and bulimia. Here, the most commons signs and symptoms are discussed along with medical complications. In the second section the focus is on detailing the subjective experiences of those who suffer with eating disorders. This section will help you'as a parent, sibling, spouse, friend, or other loved one'understand what an eating disorder is like from the perspective of the person living with it. The final section deals with directions for treatment and what to expect as your loved one recovers.

The highly respected and widely known Anorexia Nervosa: A Survival Guide for Sufferers and Friends was written in 1997. This long-awaited new edition builds on the work of the first book, providing essential new and updated research outcomes on anorexia nervosa. It offers a unique insight and guidance into the recovery process for those who suffer from an eating disorder as well as advice and information for their loved ones. Written collaboratively by both an expert in the field and someone with personal experience of eating disorders, this book offers exceptional understanding of the issues surrounding the illness. Divided into four sections, it includes: an outline of anorexia nervosa coping strategies for sufferers advice and information for families, carers and friends guidelines for professionals who are involved in the sufferer’s life. Families, friends, carers and professionals such as teachers and GPs are encouraged to read all sections in order to fully understand the illness. With an emphasis on collaboration and a layout that enables content to be referenced and read in any order, this book is an essential resource for anyone affected, directly or indirectly, by anorexia nervosa.

Widely popularized images of unobtainable and damaging feminine ideals can be a cause of profound disjunction between women and their bodies. A consequence of this dissonance is an embodied performance of these ideals with the potential development of disordered eating practices, such as anorexia nervosa. This book develops a spirituality of anorexia by suggesting that these eating disorders are physical symptoms of the general repression of feminine nature in our culture. Furthermore, it puts forward Goddess feminism as a framework for a healing therapeutic model to address anorexia and more broadly, the "slender ideal" touted by society. The book focuses on the female body in contemporary society, specifically the development of anorexia nervosa, and what this expression communicates about female embodiment. Drawing upon the work of a variety of theorists, social commentators, liberation theologians and thealogians, it discusses the benefits of adopting female-focused myths, symbols and rituals, drawing upon the work of Marion Woodman and Naomi Goldenberg. Ultimately, it theorises a thealogical approach to anorexia aimed at displacing the damaging discourses that undermine women in the twenty-first century. Offering an alternative model of spirituality and embodiment for contemporary women, this book will be of keen interest to scholars of theology, religious studies, gender studies and psychology.