other eating disorders to determine recovery rates. All
eating disorders have serious social and emotional
consequences. All except rumination disorder have
serious health consequences. The sooner a person
with an eating disorder gets professional help, the
better the chance of recovery.
PreventionPrevention involves both preventing and relieving
stresses and enlisting professional help as soon as
abnormal eating patterns develop. Some things that
may help prevent an eating disorder from developing
are listed below:
Parent should not obsess about their weight, appear-
ance, and diet in front of their children.
Parents should not put their child on a diet unless
instructed to by a pediatrician.
Do not tease people about their body shapes or
compare them to others.
Make it clear that family members are loved and
accepted as they are.
Try to eat meals together as a family whenever pos-
sible; avoid eating alone.
Avoid using food for comfort in times of stress.
Monitoring negative self-talk; practice positive self-
talk
Spend time doing something enjoyable every day
Stay busy, but not overly busy; get enough sleep
every night
Become aware of the situations that are personal
triggers for abnormal eating behaviors and look for
ways to avoid or defuse them.
Do not go on extreme diets.
Be alert to signs of low self-worth, anxiety, depres-
sion, and drug or alcohol abuse and seek help as soon
as these signs appear.
Resources
BOOKS
Agras, W. Stewart.Overcoming Eating Disorders: A Cogni-
tive-Behavioral Therapy Approach for Bulimia Nervosa
and Binge-Eating Disorder. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford
University Press, 2008.
Carleton, Pamela and Deborah Ashin.Take Charge of Your
Child’s Eating Disorder: A Physician’s Step-By-Step
Guide to Defeating Anorexia and Bulimia.. New York:
Marlowe & Co., 2007.
Heaton, Jeanne A. and Claudia J. Strauss.Talking to Eating
Disorders: Simple Ways to Support Someone Who Has
Anorexia, Bulimia, Binge Eating or Body Image Issues.
New York, NY: New American Library, 2005.
Kolodny, Nancy J.The Beginner’s Guide to Eating Disorders
Recovery.Carlsbad, CA: Gurze Books, 2004.
Liu, Aimee.Gaining: The Truth About Life After Eating
Disorders. New York, NY: Warner Books, 2007.
Messinger, Lisa and Merle Goldberg.My Thin Excuse:
Understanding, Recognizing, and Overcoming Eating
Disorders. Garden City Park, NY: Square One Pub-
lishers, 2006.
Rubin, Jerome S., ed.Eating Disorders and Weight Loss
Research. Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science Publishers,
2006.
Walsh, B. Timothy.If Your Adolescent Has an Eating Dis-
order: An Essential Resource for Parents. New York,
NY: Oxford University Press, 2005.
PERIODICALS
‘‘Surfing for Thinness: A Pilot Study of Pro-Eating Disorder
Web Site Usage in Adolescents With Eating Disorders.’’
Pediatrics.118, no. 6 (December 2006): e1635-43.
<http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/
full/118/6/e1635>
ORGANIZATIONS
American Psychological Association. 750 First Street, NE,
Washington, DC 20002-4242. Telephone: (800) 374-
2721; (202) 336-5500. TDD/TTY: (202)336-6123.
Website:<http://www.apa.org>
National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated
Disorders (ANAD). P.O. Box 7 Highland Park, IL- Telephone: (847) 831-3438. Website:http://
[http://www.anad.org](http://www.anad.org>)
National Eating Disorders Association. 603 Stewart Street,
Suite 803, Seattle, WA 98101. Help and Referral Line:
(800) 931-2237. Office Telephone: (206) 382-3587.
Website:http://www.edap.org
OTHER
Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating Disorders. ‘‘Athletes
With Eating Disorders.’’ October 6, 2006.http://
[http://www.anred.com/ath.html](http://www.anred.com/ath.html>)
Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating Disorders. ‘‘The
Better-Known Eating Disorders.’’ January 16, 2006.
http://www.anred.com/defswk.html
Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating Disorders. ‘‘Eating
Disorders and Pregnancy.’’ October 18, 2006.http://
[http://www.anred.com/pg.html](http://www.anred.com/pg.html>)
Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating Disorders. ‘‘Males
With Eating Disorders.’’ February 6, 2007.http://
[http://www.anred.com/males.html](http://www.anred.com/males.html>)
Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating Disorders. ‘‘Less-Well-
Known Eating Disorders and Related Problems.’’ Janu-
ary 16, 2006.http://www.anred.com/defslesser.html
Medline Plus. ‘‘Eating Disorders.’’ U. S. National Library of
Medicine, April 2, 2007.http://www.nlm.nih/gov/
medlineplus/eatingdisorders.html
National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated
Disorders ‘‘Facts About Eating Disorders.’’ undated;
accessed April 3, 2007.http://www.anad.org/
Tish Davidson, A. M.Eating disorders