Eating Disorders B. Timothy Walsh

Eating disorders are potentially life-threatening psychiatric illnesses commonly accompanied by serious medical problems. They typically appear during adolescence or early adulthood, a time when young people are heading to college or interviewing for a first job. Many people recover fully from eating disorders, but others become chronically ill, and symptoms can continue into middle age and beyond.

The recent publication of the revised Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) has had a profound impact on the classification of eating disorders, introducing changes that were formalized after years of study by the Eating Disorders Work Group.

If Your Adolescent Has an Eating Disorder is an authoritative guide to understanding and helping a teenager with anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder, or other eating disorders. It is designed for parents of teens who have recently been diagnosed with an eating disorder, or who are at risk of developing one, and for other adults, such as teachers and guidance counselors, who are regularly in contact with at-risk adolescents. The book combines the latest science—including the newest treatments and most up-to-date research findings on eating disorders—with the practical wisdom of parents who have been in the trenches raising teens with eating disorders.