Eating Disorders
Eating Disorders - in psychology, disorders in eating patterns that comprise four categories: anorexia nervosa, bulimia, rumination disorder, and pica. Anorexia nervosa is characterized by self-starvation to avoid obesity. People with this disorder believe they are overweight, even when their bodies become grotesquely distorted by malnourishment. Bulimia is characterized by massive food binges Read More...
Eating Disorders - in psychology, disorders in eating patterns that comprise four categories: anorexia nervosa, bulimia, rumination disorder, and pica. Anorexia nervosa is characterized by self-starvation to avoid obesity. People with this disorder believe they are overweight, even when their bodies become grotesquely distorted by malnourishment. Bulimia is characterized by massive food binges followed by self-induced vomiting or use of diuretics and laxatives to avoid weight gain. Some anorexic patients combine bulimic purges with their starvation routine. These disorders generally afflict women—particularly in adolescence and young adulthood—and are much less common among men. Some researchers believe that anorexia and bulimia are caused by chemical imbalances in the brain; one study has linked bulimia to deprivation of tryptophan, an amino acid used by the body to make the neurotransmitter serotonin. Others contend that these disorders are rooted in societal ideals that value slenderness. Rumination disorder generally occurs during infancy, and involves repeated regurgitation accompanied by low body weight. Infants suffering from rumination disorder may re-ingest the regurgitated food. Pica, also found primarily among infants, is characterized by eating various non-nutritive substances like plaster, paint, or leaves. Obesity is not generally considered an eating disorder, since its causes tend to be physiological. The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright© 2004, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Lernout & Hauspie Speech Products N.V. All rights reserved. |
15 of the Best Books and Articles on: Eating Disorders
as selected by Questia School librarians.-
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The Developmental Psychopathology of Eating Disorders: Implications for Research, Prevention, and Treatment
by Linda Smolak, Michael P. Levine, Ruth Striegel-Moore. 438 pgs.
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Eating Problems: A Feminist Psychoanalytic Treatment Model
by Carol Bloom, Andrea Gitter, Susan Gutwill, Laura Kogel, Lela Zaphiropoulos. 278 pgs.
In this insightful analysis of and treatment guide for eating problems, the authors develop a clinically useful theory of how society's injunctions about the 'right' body and the 'right' diet become inscribed in patients and join with their intrapsychic emotional life.
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Eating Disorders and Cultures in Transition
by Mervat Nasser, Melanie A. Katzman, Richard A. Gordon. 204 pgs.
There is evidence to show that the preoccupation with slimness is spreading to non-Western cultures. This work calls for professionals to extend their understanding and clinical work to account properly for eating disorders on a world-wide scale.
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Eating Disorders and Obesity: A Comprehensive Handbook
by Christopher G. Fairburn, Kelly D. Brownell. 633 pgs.
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The Outpatient Treatment of Eating Disorders: A Guide for Therapists, Dietitians, and Physicians
by James E. Mitchell. 380 pgs.
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Self-Harm Behavior and Eating Disorders: Dynamics, Assessment, and Treatment
by Leigh M. A.T. Cohn, John L. Levitt, Randy A. Sansone. 272 pgs.
Although self-harm behaviors such as burning, cutting or abrading oneself are common in individuals with eating disorders, not much is known about the precise relationship between this frequent occurrence. As the first clinical text to address the subject in a comprehensive fashion, Self-Harm Behavior and Eating Disorders fills that gap. The book's seventeen chapters, written by expert therapists and clinicians, are designed to provide professionals with the information and tools they need to treat patients who have eating disorders and engage in self-harm behaviors. Grouped into four major sections - Epidemiology, Psychodynamics, Assessment, and Treatment - these chapters examine the co-occurrence of self-harm behavior and eating disorders from a variety of perspectives. The authors consider cross-cultural factors, the complications caused when a patient suffers from other disorders, and the efficacy of various treatment programs. This long-needed book is destined to be a critical resource for professionals in the field.
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Students in Discord: Adolescents with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders (Chap. 10 "Overview: Eating Disorders" and Chap. 11 "Anorexia Nervosa")
by C. Robin Boucher. 402 pgs.
A number of emotional and behavioral conditions--including depression, Tourette's syndrome, bipolar disorder, and narcissism--have been viewed as predominantly adult disorders until recently. The author discusses these and other problems that afflict students enrolled in school, and gives guidance to the professionals who work with them.