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Eating Disorders

Eating disorders are characterized by an obsessive preoccupation with food and/or body weight.

Eating disorders are rooted in complex emotional issues that center on self-esteem and pervasive societal messages that equate thinness with happiness. Eating disorders usually surface in adolescence, and more than 90% of sufferers are female, although the incidence among males appears to be growing. Because eating disorders are neither purely physical nor purely psychological, effective treatment must include both medical management and psychotherapy. The earlier a diagnosis is made and treatment is started, the better the chances of a successful outcome.

See also Anorexia Nervosa,Bulimia

For Further Study

Books

Jablow, Martha M. A Parent's Guide to Eating Disorders and Obesity. New York: Delta Publishing, 1992.

Maloney, Michael and Rachel Kranz. Straight Talk About Eating Disorders. New York: Facts on File, 1991.

Organizations

National Eating Disorders Organization
Address: 6655 Yale Avenue
Tulsa, OK 74136
Telephone: (918) 481-4044

National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD)
Address: P.O. Box 7
Highland Park, IL 60035
Telephone: (847) 831-3438

—Gail B. Slap, M.D.
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine