medical monitoring, and substantial psychiatric treat-
ment give a person with anorexia the best chance of
recovery. Estimates suggest that between 20% and
30% of people in treatment drop out too soon and
have major relapses. Even those who stay in treatment
relapse occasionally. Treating anorexia is often a long,
slow, frustrating process that can cost many thou-
sands of dollars. The earlier in life that the disorder
starts and the longer the disorder continues untreated,
the more difficult it is bring about recovery. Many
individuals with anorexia are willfully uncooperative
and do not want to recover.
About half the people treated for anorexia nerv-
osa recover completely and are able (sometimes with
difficulty) to maintain a normal weight. Of the remain-
ing 50% between 6% and 20% die, usually of health
complications related to starvation. About 20% remain
dangerously underweight, and the rest remain thin.
PreventionSome ways to prevent anorexia nervosa from
developing are as follows:
If you are a parent, do not obsess about your own
weight and appearance in front of your children.
Do not tease your children about their body shapes
or compare them to others.
Make it clear that you love and accept your children
as they are.
Try to eat meals together as a family whenever
possible.
Remind children that the models they see on tele-
vision and in fashion magazines have extreme, not
normal or healthy bodies.
Do not put your child on a diet unless advised to by
your pediatrician.
Block your child from visiting pro-anorexia Web-
sites. These are sites where people with anorexia
give advice on extreme weight loss techniques and
support each other’s distorted body image.
If your child is a competitive athlete, get to know the
coach and the coach’s attitude toward weight.
If you think your child has an eating disorder, do not
wait to intervene and the professional help. The
sooner the disorder is treated, the easier it is to cure.
Relapses happen to many people with anorexia.
People who are recovering from anorexia can help
prevent themselves from relapsing by:
never dieting; instead plan healthy meals
staying in treatment
monitoring negative self-talk; practicing positive
self-talk
spending time doing something enjoyable every day
staying busy, but not overly busy; getting at least
seven hours of sleep each night
spending time each day with people you care about
and who care about youResources
BOOKS
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
Publishers, 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
Website Usage in Adolescents With Eating Disorders.’’
Pediatrics118, 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
American Family Physicians ‘‘Anorexia nervosa.’’ Family-
doctor.org, April 2005.http://familydoctor.org/
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