If Your Adolescent has a Eating Disorder

SERIES COPY: The Adolescent Mental Health Initiative series addresses some of the major mental health issues facing teenagers today--eating disorders, anxiety disorders, depression, and schizophrenia. Of the books planned for the series, the first four, including the two presented here, focus on how parents and other adults, including teachers, coaches, guidance counselors, and even pediatricians, can help afflicted teens overcome the disrupting and often devastating challenges of these disorders. Each book is an authoritative guide that offers essential information such as how to go about getting a diagnosis, what the latest treatment options and prevention strategies are, how to help teens cope with mental illness at home and at school and, perhaps most importantly, what the warning signs and red flags are that parents and other adults should look out for in teenagers who may be at risk for these diseases. Combining the expertise of leading psychiatrists and psychologists with the experience of everyday people who have faced these disorders in their own children, the books are designed to help adults deal effectively with adolescent mental illness and to empower them to act immediately and wisely in getting teens the best available treatment possible.
This is an authoritative guide to understanding and helping a teenager with anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa. 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 scientific expertise available--including the newest treatments and most up-to-date research findings on eating disorders--with the practical wisdom of parents who have raised teenagers with anorexia or bulimia.
In clear and accessible language, Dr. B. Timothy Walsh and V. L. Cameron explain exactly what eating disorders are and describe their characteristics, as well as signs and symptoms. They outline the right way to go about getting a diagnosis if you suspect your child may have an eating disorder, about when and where to get treatment, and about how to navigate the healthcare system. There is also advice on how to handle everyday life--both at home and at school--once your child is diagnosed, and on how to communicate with your teen. Complete with red flags to look out for and warnings on the dangers of doing nothing, this book will help parents and other adults face and deal effectively with adolescent eating disorders before they become life-threatening.

B. Timothy Walsh, M.D. is Ruane Professor of Pediatric Psychopharmacology in the College of Physicians & Surgeons at Columbia University and founder of the Eating Disorders Research Unit at the New York State Psychiatric Institute. He was chair of the Adolescent Mental Health Initiative's formal Commission on Eating Disorders, a blue ribbon panel of leading authorities convened in 2003 to assess the current research on these disorders; the findings of Dr. Walsh's commission make up the scientific foundation of this book. V. L. Cameron is a freelance writer based in New York City.