Customer Reviews

Just a Little Too Thin: How to Pull Your Child Back from the Brink of an Eating Disorder

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I am the father of an adolescent girl who has begun to worry about her weight. I haven't understood why as she is quite slim, but certainly can see she is a perfectionist. Up until now the only books I could find to understand what's happening to her were frightening and about actual illness. There wasn't anything about what could be happening to MY child now -- while she's still rather healthy. This book is totally great. I now understand where my daughter is on the dieting spectrum, I have a sense of how to read her behaviors and I even feel confident now talking to her about food, weight, and her desire to be thin. We're not fighting. We're actually talking. This is a book that seems to have helped me put each of us in a safer place. I highly recommend it to any parent who is seeing their child begin to obsess about her weight.

Dr. Michael Strober provides excellent insight for parents of girls suffering from eating disorders. His combination of academic research and clinical experience makes his advice both practical and effective. There is no other guide like this out there.

Another excellent resource for parents is STICK FIGURE: A DIARY OF MY FORMER SELF by Lori Gottlieb. I heard a reading from both books tonight, and having both the doctor's and patient's points of views was invaluable. As a parent of a teen girl, I highly recommend reading both books together.

Dr. Michael Strober has taken his life's work, synthesized it, and encapsulated in a very well written, accessible text. Dr. Strober is known internationally in academic psychiatry and psychology as a "triple threat". This means he has the highest respect as a clinician, teacher and researcher. When it comes to eating disorders you want Dr. Strober to care for you; you want him to teach you and you want to follow his research findings. Now all of these arenas are covered in one place: Just a Little Too Thin: How to Pull Your Child Back from the Brink of an Eating Disorder. I consider this a must read for any patient or family dealing with anorexia as well as all students and clinicians interested in eating disorder.

I have been privileged to have my therapy practice in the same office as Meg Schneider. I didn't realize what an authority she was on eating disorders until I read her book. It is insightful, highly readable for professionals and lay people alike. Meg really understands the psychodynamics of adolescent girls and the warning signs that they are on the brink of or actually suffering from an eating disorder. The book includes case studies, quotes from adolescents and pre-adolescents, reviews of theories regarding eating disorders and ideas to counteract eating-disordered behavior. These are mixed nicely to provide a stimulating reading experience that will be helpful to the parents of eating-disordered children and the therapists that are treating them.

Lorin Woolfe, MSW, LCSW

I have a lovely child who started dieting several months ago and never did I think she would be ruled by obsession. I could not believe what was happening, and how quickly the problem took hold. Then, I heard about this book and there it was, every one of the personality traits and social stresses the book discusses as early warn signs. For weeks I was doing things that I know now were not helping, even making things worse. Things really started turning around when I followed the suggestions in this book. I only wish I read it two months ago. Thank you Dr Strober and meg Schneider!!!!!

Tjis book is a great resource for therapists, parents, educators or anyone invoved with teens. As the executive director of a large private multispecialty mental health practice, I am often on the lookout for informative, easilly read, and helpful books to recommend to both the clinical staff and parents. This book is one of those resources that I would highly reccommend
.gary silverstein executive director of The Therapy Center

You, as parents, may begin to watch your adolescent child begin to study pictures of supermodels in magazines. He or she may start dieting, little changes at first, and exercising more. They may start dissecting their bodies, thinking they will never look good enough. A few pounds fall off but how much is too much? You may watch your daughter closely, but when is it time to become scared? You read in magazines about more and more celebrities becoming diagnosed with anorexia and bulimia. Is yours?

Just a Little Too Thin: How to Pull Your Child Back from the Brink of an Eating Disorder answers these questions as they study simple dieting and exercising all the way to the extreme dieting. The book tells about the different reasons a child may be unhappy with her body, and you must remember, it is not all your fault. But Strober and Schneider also talk about how you can change your child's mind about dieting before it becomes a problem. They also examine, if the time comes, when and how to get help.

Just a Little Too Thin: How to Pull Your Child Back from the Brink of an Eating Disorder is a very factual book that examines casual dieting and exercising all the way to the extremes. Very simple to understand, they give case studies of actual feelings and different ways to help. It also talks about getting outside help. Parents are not alone. Highly informative, Strober and Schneider wrote a book that I would recommend to any parent who thinks their child is having a problem. It even talks about how to say the right thing so I would recommend it for almost any parent of a teenager.

Eating disorder authority Michael Strober, Ph.D. and therapist Meg Schneider MA, LMSW combine their expertise in Just A Little Too Thin: How To Pull Your Child Back From The Brink Of An Eating Disorder, a straightforward guide to recognizing the dangerous signs of when one's daughter (or more rarely, one's son) shifts from becoming an "innocent" to "exhilarated" to "preoccupied dieter" - when dieting has less to do with weight and health and more to do with emotional issues that could prove fatal. Offering compassionate, no-nonsense advice on how to talk to one's children about weight issues, and guide him or her away from the slippery slope that can lead to anorexia, bulimia, or other eating disorders, Just A Little Too Thin is a valuable, jargon-free guide. Additional chapters also offer insight concerning when professional help or medical intervention are necessary, and if so, how to go about it. Highly recommended.

Eating disorder authority Michael Strober, Ph.D. and therapist Meg Schneider MA, LMSW combine their expertise in Just A Little Too Thin: How To Pull Your Child Back From The Brink Of An Eating Disorder, a straightforward guide to recognizing the dangerous signs of when one's daughter (or more rarely, one's son) shifts from becoming an "innocent" to "exhilarated" to "preoccupied dieter" - when dieting has less to do with weight and health and more to do with emotional issues that could prove fatal. Offering compassionate, no-nonsense advice on how to talk to one's children about weight issues, and guide him or her away from the slippery slope that can lead to anorexia, bulimia, or other eating disorders, Just A Little Too Thin is a valuable, jargon-free guide. Additional chapters also offer insight concerning when professional help or medical intervention are necessary, and if so, how to go about it. Highly recommended.

Eating disorders are ever more prevalent in an image-obsessed society, the phenomenon affecting young girls at an alarming rate. Faced with this concern, parents are often understandably overwhelmed, at a loss for information. This book is designed to help parents define their daughter's behavior, whether there are signs of a passing phase or more serious symptoms, making specific suggestions to interpret eating behavior. The focus of this volume is pre-disorder, appropriate information for parents before their daughter has slipped into pathology, offering insights for using this information proactively, concentrating on a developing girl before she falls victim to peer pressure and media saturation. The authors outline three stages of eating behavior: the innocent (but rigid) dieter, the exhilarated dieter and the distressed and preoccupied dieter. The evolution of these stages is subtle, the obsessive dieter ever more skilled in exercising aberrant behavior, offering logical excuses for a temporary problem that may, in fact, be accelerating, a condition that "weakens her emotionally, cognitively and physically."

Puberty is a critical factor in the onset of eating disorder or preoccupation with weight, the body's natural changes occurring with social expectations and hormonal acceleration, all of which may distort a girl's perception of her body, her food obsession and lack of nutrition gaining in significance. Other triggers include: intense participation in athletics, genetic predisposition to weight gain and the messages of family, society and peer pressure. Certainly the media sends a strong and consistent drumbeat of impossible perfection, television, the movies and the music industry major contributing factors. Add in an adolescent's need for control and the potential for an eating disorder deserves serious attention. One chapter offers detailed suggestions for counteracting the pervasiveness of a thin-oriented culture, changing the dialog before the damage is done, speaking positively about physical image, avoiding injurious remarks about overweight people, developing inner resources and natural talents and articulating feelings. Specific case studies offer insights into pre-adolescent thinking, some misperceptions that can be corrected as a girl views her identity and body in relation to the world at large.

Anorexia nervosa and bulimia are disorders that require immediate intervention, a clearly defined diagnosis of specific behaviors and a fear of fat that is not relieved by weight loss. In contrast, Just a Little Too Thin addresses the diet obsession, adolescents and pre-adolescents tailoring their eating habits to control weight gain, a still viable situation where parents can effectively work with their daughters to prevent more serious issues. The most effective treatment is preventive, focusing on teaching girls how to develop healthy self-perception, a valuable asset aimed at dealing with body image before it becomes a problem. Luan Gaines/ 2005.