The Unofficial Guide^TM to Managing Eating Disorders

by Sara Dulaney Gilbert

• ISBN13: 9780028629131
• ISBN10: 0028629132
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-01-01
• Publisher: Wiley

Summary

More than seven million women and one million men in the United States are affected with an eating disorder, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia, binge eating, and compulsive exercise. Forty percent of third grade girls said that they were dieting to lose weight; among fifth graders, that figure climbs to an alarming 75%. Eating disorders also affect one in four college-age women, and 100f adult women. The Unofficial Guide to Managing Eating Disorders covers the medical and the psychological angles, and readers learn here how to be proactive in identifying the problem and in finding out the methods that work for overcoming eating disorders in their families. Such information revealed includes: The different kinds of eating disorders illuminated and explained How to find and select a good treatment team: internist, nutritionist, and psychotherapist The lowdown on programs, therapies, and treatments The current antidepressants used to treat anorexia and bulimia analyzed How joining team sports can boost a girl's self-esteem and help combat eating disorders How not to substitute food for attention and how to balance nutrition and weight with a healthy body image How interaction, support, and encouragement from families and friends can play an important role in the success of the treatment program

Author Biography

About the Authors Sara Dulaney Gilbert is the author of 25 self-help and useful-service books including, Fat Free and You are What you Eat. She has become a specialist in helping readers of all ages find their way through personal and physical changes and major life events. She has worked extensively in the field of higher education and holds a Master's degree from the Graduate School of Education at New York University. She resides in Cold Spring, New York. Mary C. Commerford, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist, is the coordinator of the Eating Disorders Treatment Program at New York University. Prior to that, she was on the faculty at Cornell University Medical College, where she was involved with both treatment and research in eating disorders. She is the author of articles published in academic journals such as The International Journal of Eating Disorders and Eating Disorders: Treatment and Prevention. In addition, Dr. Commerford maintains a private practice in Manhattan.

Table of Contents

The Unofficial Guide Reader's Bill of Rights	xiii
The Unofficial Guide Panel of Experts	xix
Introduction	xxi
I Food, Body Image, and Self-Esteem	1	(40)
The Causes of Eating Disorders	3	(14)
Body Image: A Reflection of Inner Feelings	4	(2)
Narrowing the Profile	5	(1)
Overwhelming Drives	6	(3)
A Crazy Kind of Sense	7	(1)
Pathological Patterns	8	(1)
Hungry for What?	9	(1)
The Power of the Family	10	(2)
Family Messages and Self-Esteem	11	(1)
Socially Acceptable Disorders	12	(4)
The Dieting Dilemma	13	(1)
Peer Pressure	14	(1)
Screening Images	14	(2)
Just the Facts	16	(1)
Body Image	17	(12)
Who Says You're Too Fat or Too Thin?	18	(1)
Exploding the Myths About Weight	19	(1)
Destroying Distorted Body Images	20	(2)
Equal Opportunity Impact	22	(1)
Never Too Young to Feel ``Too Fat''	22	(1)
When the Mirror Lies: Negative Body Image	23	(3)
Telltale Signs	25	(1)
Reality Check	25	(1)
Just the Facts	26	(3)
Our Relationship with Food	29	(12)
Mixed Messages About Food	29	(2)
Market-Driven Eating	30	(1)
Disordered Eating Patterns	31	(2)
Using Food as a Crutch	32	(1)
Using Food as a Defense	32	(1)
How Dieting Triggers Food Disorders	33	(4)
How the Obsession Spreads	35	(1)
Four Degrees of Separation	35	(2)
The Hidden Game Plan: It's Not About Food	37	(1)
Why Food?	38	(1)
Drawing the Line	38	(2)
Just the Facts	40	(1)
II Eating Disorders	41	(58)
Anorexia Nervosa	43	(16)
The Doctors' Definition	43	(1)
What Anorexia Looks Like	44	(2)
What Anorexia Feels Like	46	(5)
Physical Realities	47	(1)
Personal Effects	48	(1)
When It Isn't Anorexia	49	(2)
Warning Signs of Anorexia	51	(1)
Who Has Anorexia?	52	(4)
Psychological Profile	52	(3)
The Family Connection	55	(1)
Emotional Components	55	(1)
Two Personal Views	56	(2)
Just the Facts	58	(1)
Bulimia Nervosa	59	(14)
The Doctors' Definition	59	(1)
What Bulimia Looks Like	60	(1)
The Warning Signs of Bulimia	61	(3)
The Purging Pattern	62	(2)
What Bulimia Feels Like	64	(1)
Physical Consequences	64	(1)
The Anorexia-Bulimia Connection	65	(3)
Psychological Patterns	65	(2)
A Possible Family Link	67	(1)
Who Has Bulimia?	68	(1)
Two Views from the Inside	69	(2)
Just the Facts	71	(2)
Other Eating Disorders	73	(14)
Binge Eating Disorder	73	(3)
The Doctors' Definition	75	(1)
Who's at Risk?	76	(2)
What's Behind BED?	76	(1)
Physical Consequences of Bingeing	77	(1)
E.D.---Not Otherwise Specified	78	(3)
Who Has an ED-NOS?	78	(1)
Compulsive Overeating	79	(1)
Night Eating and Other Disordered Eating Patterns	80	(1)
Common Threads	81	(1)
The Diabetes Connection	81	(1)
So What Is a Normal Eating Pattern?	82	(2)
Familiar Stories	84	(2)
Just the Facts	86	(1)
Exercise Disorders	87	(12)
Exercise Is Good, Isn't It?	88	(5)
Exercise Assets	88	(1)
Exercise Liabilities	88	(1)
When Exercise Becomes Too Much of a Good Thing	89	(1)
An Unhealthy Relationship	90	(1)
Is It an Addiction?	91	(1)
Over the Line	91	(2)
The Connection with Eating Disorders	93	(1)
Who Overdoes It?	93	(1)
Eating Disorders in Athletes	93	(3)
Different Risks for Male and Female Athletes	94	(2)
The Inside Scoop	96	(1)
Just the Facts	97	(2)
III Responding to Danger Signals	99	(30)
How to Read the Telltale Signs	101	(12)
Why Clues Are Hidden	101	(3)
The Power of Denial	102	(1)
The Culture of Food Control	103	(1)
Tricky Symptoms	104	(1)
Who's at Risk?	104	(7)
Personal Characteristics	104	(2)
Family Background	106	(1)
Clues to Pay Attention To	107	(4)
Beyond Normal	111	(1)
Just the Facts	112	(1)
What to Do If Someone You Know Has an Eating Disorder	113	(16)
Gaining Awareness	113	(2)
How to Relate to Someone Who Has an Eating Disorder	114	(1)
What Doesn't Work	115	(2)
Choosing Another Approach	116	(1)
Things You Can Do	117	(2)
Be Direct	117	(1)
Be Cautious	118	(1)
Taking Immediate Action	119	(3)
Stage by Stage	119	(3)
Reading Matters	122	(1)
Blunting a Disorder's Dangerous Effects	122	(3)
Getting into Treatment	124	(1)
Getting Help	125	(3)
Helping Yourself	125	(1)
Being There: Living with Someone Who Has an Eating Disorder	126	(2)
Just the Facts	128	(1)
IV Treatments for Eating Disorders	129	(54)
The Treatment Process	131	(28)
An Overview of Treatments	132	(9)
Methods of Treatment	133	(1)
How the Treatments Work	134	(4)
Treatment Goals	138	(1)
Emergency Treatment	138	(3)
Tailoring Therapy to the Individual	141	(6)
Entering Treatment	142	(3)
Psychotherapy	145	(1)
Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT)	146	(1)
Other Psychological Approaches to Eating Disorders	147	(5)
Drug Therapies	148	(1)
Feeling Full	149	(1)
Dealing with the Scale	150	(2)
Collaborating with a Dietitian	152	(1)
Challenges to Treatment	152	(4)
Denial	153	(2)
Personal Progress	155	(1)
Signs of Recovery	155	(1)
An Inside Look	156	(2)
Side Benefits	157	(1)
Just the Facts	158	(1)
Selecting Treatment	159	(14)
Choosing an Approach to Therapy	159	(6)
Individual and Group Approaches to Therapy	160	(2)
Matchups	162	(1)
Evaluating the Therapist	163	(1)
Questions to Ask	163	(2)
Networking	165	(3)
Rating the Resources	165	(3)
How Much Will It Cost?	168	(4)
Money Matters	169	(1)
Price-Conscious Treatments	170	(1)
Self-Help	171	(1)
Warnings	171	(1)
A Positive Spin	172	(1)
Just the Facts	172	(1)
Keeping On	173	(10)
Expanding the Goals of Recovery	174	(1)
Getting Back to ``Normal''	174	(1)
Family Therapy	175	(2)
Relapse Prevention	177	(2)
Taking Life Easy	178	(1)
Steps Ahead	179	(2)
What It Feels Like	179	(1)
Beyond Coping	180	(1)
Just the Facts	181	(2)
V Living with Someone Who Has an Eating Disorder	183	(62)
How to Help Someone You Love	185	(14)
Separating Feelings from Facts	185	(1)
Taking Action	186	(2)
Calming Down	187	(1)
First Steps	188	(1)
What to Do Over the Long Run	188	(2)
Just for Parents	190	(1)
Managing Daily Life	190	(5)
Managing Mealtimes	192	(1)
Bottom-Line Protections	193	(1)
More Matter-of-Factness	194	(1)
In Case of a Relapse	195	(1)
What Is Gained	196	(1)
What Recovery Feels Like	196	(1)
Just the Facts	197	(2)
Helping Yourself	199	(10)
Why You Need Help	200	(2)
A Life of Its Own	200	(1)
Why What You Can't Do Can Hurt You	201	(1)
The Family Balance	202	(1)
Would Therapy Help?	202	(1)
Untangling Knots	203	(1)
Choosing a Course for the Family	203	(2)
Focusing on Yourself	204	(1)
Letting Go	204	(1)
What's on the Web?	205	(2)
From the Inside	206	(1)
Just the Facts	207	(2)
How to Prevent Eating Disorders	209	(10)
The Parent Factor	209	(1)
Changing the Message	210	(3)
Listening to Yourself	211	(1)
Do What I Do	211	(1)
Healthier Messages	212	(1)
Keeping Food Rules Neutral	213	(2)
It's Not About Food	213	(1)
Patterns to Watch	214	(1)
Good Health Is a Family Affair---Enjoy It!	215	(2)
At the Table	216	(1)
Getting Everyone into the Kitchen	216	(1)
Making Exercise Fun	216	(1)
Just the Facts	217	(2)
In Balance	219	(18)
Hunger and Satiety	220	(1)
Why Dieting Doesn't Work	221	(3)
Set Point	221	(1)
Off Balance	222	(1)
More Chemical Matters	223	(1)
The Basics of a Healthful Diet	224	(1)
Positive Eating Strategies	224	(1)
The Right Kind of Attention	225	(1)
Natural Regulation	225	(1)
Building a Diet on Good Nutrition	225	(7)
The Food Guide Pyramid	226	(1)
Balancing Food Groups	227	(1)
Nondieting Guidelines	228	(1)
Are All Calories Alike?	228	(2)
How Many Calories Do You Need?	230	(1)
Why It's Important to Plan Meals	231	(1)
Determining an Ideal Weight	232	(3)
Body Mass Index (BMI)	232	(3)
The Exercise Factor	235	(1)
Just the Facts	236	(1)
Looking Ahead	237	(8)
Improving the Outlook	237	(1)
Facts to Remember	238	(2)
Keys to Recovery	240	(1)
What It Means to Recover	241	(3)
From the Beginning	242	(1)
The Value of Support	243	(1)
Just the Facts	244	(1)
Glossary	245	(8)
Resource Guide	253	(6)
Index	259