Eating Disorders and Obesity, Second Edition: A Comprehensive Handbook [Paperback]

Christopher G. Fairburn DM FMedSci FRCPsych (Editor), Kelly D. Brownell PhD (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 19, 2005 | ISBN-10: 1593852363 | ISBN-13: 978-1593852368 | Edition: Second Edition

This unique handbook presents and integrates virtually all that is currently known about eating disorders and obesity in one authoritative, accessible, and eminently practical volume. From leading international authorities, 112 concise chapters encapsulate the latest information on all pertinent topics, from biological, psychological, and social processes associated with risk, to clinical methods for assessment and intervention. Suggestions for further reading at the end of each chapter replace extended references and enhance the practical value and readability of the volume.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"In the second edition of this landmark work, Fairburn and Brownell have again boldly linked eating disorders and obesity in one authoritative volume. It provides the clinician and the researcher, who formerly had to master two different literatures, with a splendid overview of the very latest information in 112 short, superbly crafted chapters. The first edition of this volume made history; this second edition is even better."--Albert Stunkard, M.D.

"Fairburn and Brownell have produced the definitive handbook integrating the fields of obesity and eating disorders. This second edition of the handbook is even better than the first. Well organized and carefully edited, it is unmatched in providing comprehensive and authoritative coverage of both fields. The book is an indispensable resource for clinicians and researchers alike. It is also a blessing for anyone teaching a course in the general area."--G. Terence Wilson, PhD

Praise for the First Edition
"The scope of this new compendium is impressive, with 101 chapters contributed by a distinguished roster of internationally recognized investigators and clinicians....The user-friendly nature of the book is apparent in the readability of the individual chapters....There are remarkably few areas of substantive duplication in coverage....Looking back over the book, I am reminded of the editors' comments in the preface regarding 'the regrettable separation of the eating disorders and obesity fields.'....For clinicians and investigators, this outstanding handbook should help to bridge the historical gap between those fields."--The New England Journal of Medicine

"In the weeks [this book] has been in my office I have used it more than any other text. It is what it claims to be, both 'comprehensive' and a 'handbook'. It provides the reader, novice or expert, with instant informed opinion and points them to additional, more detailed sources to continue investigation....Bringing together such an international collection of distinguished scientists and clinicians under one cover may be an important step to help the scientific community, the general public, and Government funding recognize that both [eating disorders and obesity] are in need of action and in a coordinated way. Clinical psychologists with a current or putative interest in either eating disorders or obesity should have access to this book."--The British Journal of Clinical Psychology

"The editors of this book have been successful in presenting and integrating all that is currently known about eating disorders and obesity into one well-organized, carefully edited, sound, user-friendly book. This text is a must for the libraries of practitioners working in the fields of obesity and eating disorders."--Journal of the American Dietetic Association

"This multi-author textbook successfully conveys state-of-the-art information in brief yet authoritative chapters on fundamental issues, basic science, assessments, clinical characteristics, and treatments of all three of the eating disorders....Invaluable for clinicians and students."--Readings

"This volume was boldly conceived....[Brownell and Fairburn] have attempted to cover extensive aspects of both eating disorders and obesity, to tap many of the world experts, to present controversial as well as conventional perspectives to enrich documented data with clinical insights, to be useful to generalists as well as specialists, to elucidate research methodology as well as clinical techniques, and to be current in a rapidly changing field. Remarkably, they have accomplished all this with impressive success....I recommend this book highly to all professionals who work with eating-disordered or overweight patients."--Eating Disorders

"Authoritative, accessible and practical."--Idea Today

"On occasion, a book is published that is so unique in its contribution and so completely fulfills its lofty goals that it is bound to become a classic the moment the first copy rolls off the press. This volume edited by Brownell and Fairburn is one of those classics....Both editors have demonstrated throughout their careers a broad-based perspective that is clearly evident in this collaborative effort....The volume stands out for...its integration of eating disorders and obesity across disciplines, its comprehensiveness, and its synoptic style....One cannot overlook the reasonable price of the book...it is a true bargain that is rare among today's highly inflated book prices. Eating Disorders and Obesity succeeds as a valuable and unique scholarly contribution. I recommend it highly for the reference library of anyone interested in obesity, eating disorders, or behavioral medicine."--Contemporary Psychology

"It is certainly good to see a volume bringing together material on all the eating disorders, including those that result in obesity. Indeed, the range of the book is without doubt impressive; its sections include the regulation of eating and weight, dieting and body image, measurement, classification, clinical characteristics and history of eating disorders, epidemiology and medical aspects as well as a section devoted to the major treatment initiatives."--Child Psychology and Psychiatry

About the Author

Christopher G. Fairburn, DM, FMedSci, FRCPsych, is Wellcome Principal Research Fellow and Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Oxford.

Kelly D. Brownell, PhD, is Professor of Psychology and Director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 633 pages
• Publisher: The Guilford Press; Second Edition edition (July 19, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1593852363
• ISBN-13: 978-1593852368
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #158,502 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent presentation of complex topics, July 8, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Eating Disorders and Obesity, Second Edition: A Comprehensive Handbook (Hardcover)

As an internist, I am a little closer to the obesity side of things but I found the entire book informative and very easy to comprehend. The chapters are purposefully short to facilitate the episodic reading that is often the only reading possible in a busy practice. I particularly like Dr. Brownell's public health and environmental approach to the problem of obesity. This textbook is a great way for the uninitiated to "catch up" on the current concepts of obesity and eating disorders.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Over-sized, Minor Value, June 11, 2011

By 

Douglas Setter (Vancouver, BC, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Eating Disorders and Obesity, Second Edition: A Comprehensive Handbook (Paperback)

This book was like super-sized junk food for the brain...without the taste. While I did pick up some good historical references about eating disorders, I really did not need to read chapters and chapters of research to find out that "less calories and more exercise" is a proven solution. Wow. We needed a research scientist to tell us that!

I get more cutting edge information from the local gym scene and talking to people who actually lost the weight than this research. I am actually embarrassed that our scientists could not do a better job of looking for metabolic or behaviorial solutions.

Heck, I will give the reader one right now. Eat protein before any other food. One gram of protein requires a gram of water. Whereas, carbohydrates require 4 grams of water. The carbs will cause a more rapid weight gain. The protein will fill you up quicker as well.

The most useful psychological information from this text was how children could be taught to eat less by having the parents put down their eating utensils between bites. The children then followed their parents' examples. Not exactly cutting edge psychology here.

It is like the editors and researchers are terrified of straying off of the old calorie-counting mentality. There was no comparisons of ethnic or performance diets. Food was all a matter of calories. Nothing to do with vitamin value or how hidden hungers, from B vitamin deficiencies, can cause over-eating.

Fair enough, this information was unbiased from advertisers. But, I found it very time-consuming and as disappointing as a dry doughnut. --Doug Setter BSc. author of Stomach Flattening and Reduce Your Alcohol Craving