Help Your Teenager Beat an Eating Disorder [Paperback]

James Lock MD PhD (Author), Daniel Le Grange PhD (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2005

If your teenager shows signs of having an eating disorder, you may hope that, with the right mix of love, encouragement, and parental authority, he or she will just "snap out of it." If only it were that simple. To make matters worse, certain treatments assume you've somehow contributed to the problem and prohibit you from taking an active role. But as you watch your own teen struggle with a life-threatening illness, every fiber of your being tells you there must be some part you can play in restoring your child's health. In Help Your Teenager Beat an Eating Disorder, James Lock and Daniel Le Grange--two of the nation's top experts on the treatment of eating disorders--present compelling evidence that your involvement as a parent is critical. In fact, it may be the key to conquering your child's illness. Help Your Teenager Beat an Eating Disorder provides the tools you need to build a united family front that attacks the illness to ensure that your child develops nourishing eating habits and life-sustaining attitudes, day by day, meal by meal. Full recovery takes time, and relapse is common. But whether your child has already entered treatment or you're beginning to suspect there is a problem, the time to act is now. This book shows how.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Lock, a psychiatrist specializing in adolescence, and le Grange, an assistant professor of psychiatry, have written a comprehensive book on a difficult topic. They present some new concepts on the management of eating disorders that are somewhat contradictory to current thinking, and make valid points backed by research (the authors have a five-year grant for studying the treatment of anorexia nervosa). Early on, Lock and le Grange emphasize the need for parents to take immediate action in obtaining help for their teens and to not dwell on the "why." Many therapists balk at this approach, believing the motivations for an eating disorder are an essential part of treatment. But Lock and le Grange present research suggesting the disorder can be linked to personality traits and even genetics. The book then moves on to help parents understand eating disorders by delving into the complexity of these disorders, the distorted thinking behind a teenager's behavior and what the research says about the best ways to treat anorexia and bulimia. Finally, the authors address ways to make treatment work, drawing on experiences they've have had with families they have helped. There are many red flags that parents should recognize when it comes to their adolescent daughter or son's eating habits, and this intelligent book points them out clearly and concisely. (Feb.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

"Navigating the treacherous ground of a child's eating disorder can be a remarkable challenge. Written by two trusted figures in the eating disorders field, this book offers parents a clear and comprehensive roadmap for helping a child overcome this serious threat to health and well-being."--Kelly D. Brownell, PhD, Yale Center for Eating and Weight Disorders; author of Food Fight

"Parents receive lots of advice about how to help their children recover from eating disorders--but often it's the wrong advice. This book helps parents understand what is going on with their child and how they can take an active role in making treatment more successful. I highly recommend it."--W. Stewart Agras, MD, coauthor of Overcoming Eating Disorders

"If you are the parent of a teenager who is struggling with an eating disorder, you probably feel confused, anxious, and filled with questions. What should you do? Is it your fault? Can you help? This book, written by two eating disorder experts, will help you find some answers. It clearly explains what eating disorders are about and which treatments work best, and gives practical suggestions and encouragement. Recommended for any concerned parent."--Rachel Bryant-Waugh, PhD, University of Southampton, UK; author of Eating Disorders: A Parents' Guide

"The authors, both experienced in the field of psychiatric treatment of teens with eating disorders, make a cogent and compelling argument for greater involvement of parents in their children's care. In so doing, they serve to empower parents, marking a welcome departure from previous practice."--Iris F. Litt, MD, Adolescent Medicine Clinic, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine

"Truly excellent. An invaluable resource for parents. It provides sound, commonsense answers to all the most important questions. Written by experts--and it shows."--Christopher G Fairburn, DM, FRCPsych, author of Overcoming Binge Eating

"Finding appropriate treatment for our 15-year-old daughter has involved plenty of heartache, but this book provides information and empowerment that is helping us persevere. It offers a comprehensive account of the challenges of dealing with an adolescent's eating disorder--and what you can do to restore your child to a normal, healthy life. A 'must read' for parents!"--Mr. and Mrs. V., Naperville, Illinois

"With this groundbreaking book, parents can set aside guilt and helplessness and get on with the difficult but rewarding work of supporting their child toward healthy recovery."--Laura Collins, author of Eating With Your Anorexic

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 295 pages
• Publisher: The Guilford Press; 1 edition (January 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1572309083
• ISBN-13: 978-1572309081
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #19,579 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #33 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Recovery > Drug Dependency
  • #33 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Mental Health > Eating Disorders

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

83 of 86 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The tide is turning on our understanding of ED's, February 11, 2005

By 

Constant Reader - See all my reviews

This review is from: Help Your Teenager Beat an Eating Disorder (Paperback)

To say that this book is revolutionary would not be an exaggeration. For decades, Anorexia and Bulimia in their many forms were viewed as the result of a combination of family dysfunction and social pressures. Though the scientific evidence to support this was pretty weak tea, that was and still is the dominant view of experts who treat this illness. (See Hilde Bruch's "The Golden Cage". It perfectly captures this view.)

In practice, this translated into therapies for anorexics in which families were told "not to make food an issue" and that their adolescent son or daughter was really expressing a need to "control" their environment. Any effort to actually feed the starving child was discouraged. Instead, parents were and are told that their child had to "choose" to get better first.

Lock and LeGrange are both research scientists and psychiatric practitioners who stumbled upon the research done at the Maudsley Hospital in London on eating disorders. The researchers at Maudsley did three novel things. First, they decided to be agnostic on the causes of anorexia. This freed them up to do a second thing; feed the starving child. In order to accomplish this, they had to do the third and final revolutionary thing which was to enlist the parents as part of the re-feeding process. In other words, the parents were now part of the cure, rather than part of the problem.

This stood current treatment for anorexics on its head. Amazingly, the researchers documented the most successful "cure" rate for any scientifically conducted study on anorexia treatment. "Help Your Teenager Beat an Eating Disorder" introduces parents to and guides them through the Maudsley approach.

This book was not written as a self-help manual, but it was written for parents and contains loads of practical advice garnered from years of working directly with sufferers and their parents. For example, they address common questions such as: should my child weigh himself; do I take her grocery shopping with me;establish a regular pattern of eating; what to do about binging and purging; how should one deal with friends; what to do about new clothes;and, naturally, how to help your child eat more.

What you won't find is endless but unprovable psycho-babble that makes you sick with guilt over why your child won't eat. L and L address the significant emotional issues attendant with the disease, but they don't blame the parents for them; they blame the illness. I cannot begin to tell you how refreshing that is.

This is a book that demands a place in the home of every parent trying to help their son or daughter caught in the misery of an ED. It offers not just hope, but solutions.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Helpful Book, July 16, 2006

By 

Rebecca "8th sister" (Dallas, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Help Your Teenager Beat an Eating Disorder (Paperback)

I bought this book last summer (July 2005) just before my daughter was hospitilized with an (ED)eating disorder. I tried outpatient counseling, visiting a dietician,(begging too)and encouragement. I was depressed, frustrated, sad, and angry that my daughter was not improving despite my efforts to help her--and I realized she had an ED early. I

This book gave me insight and understanding to circumstances that may cause an ED and anecdotes that may relate to your child or family. It does not parent-bash, blaming failure on the parent. I shared this book with other parents with kids in ED treatment--and many bought it after looking at the content. I am grateful for the book and the treatment she received. The treatment was family-centered (mentioned in book) and involved the entire family. Treatment was difficult and necessary to save my child's life.


Parents, watch out for the internet: xanga, my space, House_of_sins.com--and other sites. There are communities of so- called "Ana and mia's",giving advice, and thinspirations to help your child continue their sickness.

This book is the best book on the market. It is not a manual for treatment alone, but an aide to understand and get help.

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must read for parents of ED Sufferers, May 23, 2005

By 

Sam I Am (San Rafael, CA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Help Your Teenager Beat an Eating Disorder (Hardcover)

Excellent advice by leading researchers at Stanford and U of Chicago in eating disorders. The authors offer practical advice on helping your child recover from this strange disease.

The commonsense approach of "supported nutrition" also known as the "Maudsley method" has been clinically proven more effective than the tradition therapy approaches.

There is much "psycho-babble" about the causes of this disease which can lead to many deadend approaches to treatment.

You cannot afford to wait. Get your child treatment today and read this book. Another highly recommended is "Eating with your Anorexic" by Laura Collins which is more of a journal of her families odessy with ED treatment. Check out her site (...)

-Parent of a 12 year old anorexic