Customer Reviews

Help Your Teenager Beat an Eating Disorder

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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.

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.

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

This book is such a relief!! Unlike other books that go on and on about what eating disorders are and their causes and types and so on, this book actually tells you how to act. It tells you exactly how to deal with your teenager and how to behave around them.

This book gave my husband and I a much needed understanding of this complicated disease. Nothing else was as clear and helpful.

Of the books I've read about eating disorders, this is probably the most informative one regarding explanations of what eating disorders are. This is an excellent resource for anyone with a young child or teenager with an eating disorder. I did find their advice about leaving your job to stay home with your child or going to their school to eat with them to be a bit impractical, but overall think the book is a valuable resource.

I found this book extremely helpful. It is very easy to understand and provides key information to helping teenagers recover from eating disorders using a new approach that includes parents and other family members supporting strategies to recovery,

This book can save your child's life. The information in this book is the very best available. Now is the time to get this book if your child has been wrestling with an eating disorder. The information is based on good science, and I believe that this information is the most up to date out there. ANYONE with an eating disorder could benefit from their caregiver reading this book. Don't put your kid on antideppresant drugs. Get this book instead and do what it says. You will be glad you did!

Help Your Teenager Beat an Eating Disorder
My husband and I are faced with helping our child beat an eating disorder. This book describing family-based therapy has helped us help our daughter put on weight. The method described in the book is difficult to do and requires steadfast determination by the parents. It describes the symptoms and the treatments in current use in dealing with the problem. Our daughter was almost 19 when we started the process, and we feel her age makes it more difficult in light of the privacy laws and the determination by the medical community that 18 is the age of an adult. Even with that difficulty, I believe the outcome for her would be terribly difficult if not for the help we received from this book and from our therapist who used the metods described. I strongly recommend the book to those parents who are dealing with younger teenagers, although it is helpful to all parents. This book used in conjunction with a therapist who understands the method is the best approach to dealing with an eating disorder.

This book is an excellent resource for both parents and clinicians. I am a marriage and family therapist and often work with adolescents and their families. This book provides practical advice for parents and can be a helpful adjunct to family therapy with the eating disordered individual.