Eating with Your Anorexic

by Laura Collins

Overview

A source of hope and valuable information for parents of children with eating disorders

This poignant and informative narrative relates how one mother rescued her daughter from the "experts" and treated the girl's life-threatening anorexia using a controversial approach. Known as the Maudsley Approach, this home-based, family-centered therapy, developed in Great Britain in the 1980s, has been receiving a lot of press here over the past few years. While it has been widely used in Europe for many years and is rapidly gaining acceptance among parents and within the pediatric and child psychiatric communities in the United States, until now, there were no popular books on the subject. Must-reading for parents of children with eating disorders, Eating with Your Anorexic is:

• The first popular book on an increasingly popular approach to curing eating disorders
• A source of practical information and guidance for parents of children with eating disorders
• An eloquent narrative filled with pathos that inspires, empowers, and informs

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780071471220
Publisher:	McGraw Hill LLC
Publication date:	12/22/2004
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	872,552
File size:	295 KB

About the Author

Laura Collins is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in a number of magazines, including iParenting.com, Skirt!, Adoptive Families, Potomac Review and others.

Table of Contents

	Foreword	ix
1	How to Get Fired by Your Therapist	1
2	"You Should Probably Eat More"	5
3	Who Are You Calling White, Wealthy, and Great in School?	13
4	"Everyone Eats!"	17
5	Take the Fork Away-She's Not Done Yet	23
6	Rock-Throwing Lesson #1	27
7	Rock-Throwing Lesson #2	31
8	The Disease That Speaks Only Its Name	33
9	Folks, Don't Try This at Home!	39
10	The Anorexia Table	47
11	Show Me the Money	51
12	Not Eating with Your Anorexic	53
13	Waivering	59
14	Bring in the Clowns: Booking a Stay with Ronald McDonald	63
15	"The Wishes of A.N."	67
16	A Familiar Odor	73
17	Snake Swallows Self	79
18	Pay No Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain!	85
19	Feminist Turns into Donna Reed-Details at 11	93
20	Like a Lab Sheds Water	97
21	Blinking Madly	101
22	"Creepy, Cruel, and Highly Disturbing"	105
23	Nature Versus Nurture	111
24	From Earthnik to Pusher	117
25	Night and Day	121
26	Life Support-No, Not That Kind	125
27	The Sirens	133
28	"You're Not Fat!"	137
29	Reshelving	141
30	Stuff and Release	145
31	What's a Nice Therapist Like You...	149
32	Showing Our Colors	153
33	They Are Ill. What's Our Excuse?	157
34	Happy Living Day	159
	Afterword	165
	Parent to Parent: What I'd Say to You Over Coffee (and a Slice of Baklava!)	169
Appendix	History of the Maudsley Approach	175
	Acknowledgments	179
	Resources	181

Editorial Reviews

According to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (www.anad.org), the mortality rate for anorexia is higher than that of any other psychological disorder, and without treatment, up to 20 percent of those with serious eating disorders of any kind will die. These two works address anorexia, each focusing on the role of families in successful treatment. Clinical psychologist Dellasega (Surviving Ophelia; Girl Wars) presents findings from her work with the "true experts" on this disorder, parents of children with anorexia, bulimia, and other eating disorders. Organizing her work around anonymous family case studies, Dellasega addresses discovering the disorder; finding professional help; the impact on siblings, marriages, and careers; coping with insurance companies; and what happens after recovery. She includes consideration of boys, which alone is worth the investment in this important and innovative contribution to the field. What sets the work apart, though, is its emphasizing the need to integrate parents into the treatment process. Collins provides a poignant, informative memoir that relates how she rescued her daughter from "the experts" and treated her life-threatening anorexia using a controversial technique known as the Maudsley Approach. Developed in London in the 1980s by Christopher Dare and Ivan Eisler at Maudsley Hospital, the Maudsley Approach is a home-based, family-centered form of treatment now undergoing testing by psychologists at numerous institutions in this country. This approach emphasizes getting children to eat at home first, with therapy coming later; parents are not blamed for causing anorexia. The author offers numerous succinctly written chapters that should help parents struggling with anorexic children; her family's ultimate victory over anorexia vindicates this emerging model. This is an important title for professionals and a vital resource for families dealing with eating disorders. Both works are recommended for larger public libraries and for university libraries supporting the medical and helping professions.-Dale Farris, Groves, TX Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

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