The Anorexic Mind


Book Description

Eating disorders vary in severity from developmental difficulties in adolescence which may be transitory, to serious and chronic mental illnesses. The Anorexic Mind offers a coherent approach to these difficult and demanding problems, always underlining the point that while many of the manifestations are physical, eating disorders have their origins as well as their solutions, in the mind. While anorexia nervosa may be considered the central syndrome in eating disorders, this book also considers how it links and differs from bulimia nervosa, the more common, related disorder. In the process of the research on anorexia and bulimia, valuable insights have been gained into the very common problem of overeating. The author takes a developmental approach to eating disorders, and is very aware of the continuities between infantile, adolescent and adult experience. Our earliest relationship is a feeding relationship and feeding difficulties early in life are not rare.




The Anorexic Mind


Book Description

"Eating disorders vary in severity from developmental difficulties in adolescence which may be transitory, to serious and chronic mental illnesses. The Anorexic Mind offers a coherent approach to these difficult and demanding problems, always underlining the point that while many of the manifestations are physical, eating disorders have their origins as well as their solutions, in the mind. While anorexia nervosa may be considered the central syndrome in eating disorders, this book also considers how it links and differs from bulimia nervosa, the more common, related disorder. In the process of the research on anorexia and bulimia, valuable insights have been gained into the very common problem of overeating.The author takes a developmental approach to eating disorders, and is very aware of the continuities between infantile, adolescent and adult experience. Our earliest relationship is a feeding relationship and feeding difficulties early in life are not rare. The view taken in The Anorexic Mind is that feeding difficulties indicate and reflect relationship difficulties whether they occur in infancy, adolescence or adulthood. Most eating disorders apparently begin at adolescence, though if a careful history can be obtained, it is often clear that there have been relationship difficulties at earlier stages of development.If eating disorders are understood as reflections of relationship difficulties, the author believes that they are best treated within a therapeutic relationship. Examples are given of treatment by formal psychotherapy or psychoanalysis where early difficulties become visible and treatable within the transference relationship to the therapist. The most serious cases of anorexia and bulimia nervosa are treated within institutional settings, and many patients have a number of long admissions.Part of the Tavistock Clinic Series."--Provided by publisher.




Anorexics on Anorexia


Book Description

Recovering sufferers of Anorexia Nervosa describe in their own words their personal experiences of this illness, providing not only support for fellow sufferers but also invaluable insights for the families of sufferers and for carers and professionals. In each case the contributors describe: * the progression of their illness * the effect on their families * the treatment they received and its effectiveness * their perceived reasons for developing the illness * where they are now.




Victorian Literature and the Anorexic Body


Book Description

Anna Krugovoy Silver examines the ways nineteenth-century British writers used physical states of the female body - hunger, appetite, fat and slenderness - in the creation of female characters. Silver argues that anorexia nervosa, first diagnosed in 1873, serves as a paradigm for the cultural ideal of middle-class womanhood in Victorian Britain. In addition, Silver relates these literary expressions to the representation of women's bodies in the conduct books, beauty manuals and other non-fiction prose of the period, contending that women 'performed' their gender and class alliances through the slender body. Silver discusses a wide range of writers including Charlotte Brontë, Christina Rossetti, Charles Dickens, Alfred Lord Tennyson, Bram Stoker and Lewis Carroll to show that mainstream models of middle-class Victorian womanhood share important qualities with the beliefs or behaviours of the anorexic girl or woman.




Neurobiology in the Treatment of Eating Disorders


Book Description

It is often difficult to blend the knowledge from scientific research with the experience of clinical practice. This book does exactly that. By incorporating recent advances in biological sciences with the concept of aetiology and treatment of eating disorders, the editors have successfully produced an authoritative, state-of-the-art text. The internationally renowned authors suggest ways of integrating the latest findings within a treatment setting. Topics covered include: ? Phenomenology ? Measurement of Psychopathology ? Stress, Neurobiology and Eating ? Eating Behaviour and Weight Control ? Emotional States and Bulimic Psychopathology ? Neuroimaging ? Treatment of Anorexia Nervosa ? Treatment of Binge Eating Disorder ? Pharmacotherapy ? Nutritional Management ? Medical Complications. This book will be of value to all psychiatrists, psychologists, psychopharmacologists and clinical neuroscientists. From pre-publication reviews: "This book provides a masterly synthesis of the basic and the clinical, in a form that should prove useful to both practicing clinicians and researchers in the field. I know of no other book of comparable scope that has attempted so successfully this integration." James E. Mitchell Professor and Chairman, Department of Neurosciences, UND, Fargo, USA "Neurobiology in the Treatment of Eating Disorders is a major achievement and I predict that it will become an instant classic." Ruth Striegel-Moore Professor and Chair, Department of Psychology, Wesleyan University, CT, USA "A significant addition to the literature on eating disorders. This book is notable for its depth and breadth, the emphasis on neurobiology being particularly distinctive and welcome. It deserves to be widely read." Christopher Fairburn Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford UK "I found this book absolutely outstanding and was very pleased to read it. This invaluable and authoritative overview represents an outstanding reference for the study of the three major disorders of eating behaviour. This book represents an extraordinary background for future developments of neurobiological and genetic investigations, clinical applications, epidemiological studies; therapeutic approaches and prevention programs." Francesca Brambilla Professor, Department of Neuropsychiatric Sciences, H. S. Raffaele, Milan, Italy




States of Brain and Mind


Book Description




The Eating Disorders Sourcebook


Book Description

Sound, sensitive advice for overcoming an eating disorder Anorexia, bulimia, binge eating, exercise addictions . . . these disorders can be devastating, but they are in no way unbeatable. Therapist Carolyn Costin, herself recovered from anorexia, brings three decades of experience and the newest research in the field together, providing readers with the latest treatments, from medication and behavioral therapy to alternative remedies. Whether you are living with an eating disorder or you are a loved one or professional helping someone who is, The Eating Disorder Sourcebook will help you: Recognize and identify eating disorders Discover and work with the underlying causes of an eating disorder Make the right choices when comparing treatment options Understand what is expected in individual, group, and family therapy Know when outpatient treatment is not enough and what else can be done




Hungry for Ecstasy


Book Description

Hungry for Ecstasy: Trauma, The Brain, and the Influence of the Sixties by Sharon Klayman Farber explores the hunger for ecstatic experience that can lead people down the road to self-destruction. In an attempt to help mental health professionals and concerned individuals understand and identify the phenomenon and ultimately intervene with patients, friends, and loved ones, Farber speaks both personally and professionally to the reader. She discusses the different paths taken on the road to ecstatic states. There are religious ecstasies, ecstasies of pain and near-death experiences, cult-induced ecstasies, creative ecstasies, and ecstasies from hell. Hungry for Ecstasy explores not only the neuroscientific processes involved but also the influence of the sixties in driving people to seek these states. Finally, Farber draws from her own personal and professional experience to advise others how to intervene on behalf of the person whose behavior puts his or her life at risk.




The Anorexia Bulimia Trap


Book Description

43 years is longer than a life sentence! Yet life with bulimia must go on. Travel with me as I cope with anorexia and bulimia, the frustrations, limitations, nagging anxieties and chronic insecurities it manifested, and the immoral and "criminal" depths into which it sometimes plunged me over this extended period. Yet I had some memorable experiences, some maybe only so because I was a bulimic. And I never gave up hope. Numerous times I sought and failed to find a "cure", until...until I succeeded (well, with caveats). I offer insights into the inner workings of the mind of a bulimic, as well as some theories as to why this condition persisted for so long. I hope my story will create greater understanding for those who suffer this addiction, and for those who strive to help them.




Don't Tell


Book Description

Is it an emotional or a psychological need for attention because it's the crazy teenage years? Could it be a mental disorder that is hardwired into a person's genes at conception? How do you out maneuver the mind of a manipulator and bully? This personal narrative describes our family's involvement with emotional abuse, male anorexia and cutting.