Eating Disorder Books

Books about eating disorders cover a wide range of perspectives, including personal memoirs, clinical guides, self-help resources, and academic texts.

Table of Contents
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    Types of Eating Disorder Books

    Some notable categories and examples within each:

    Memoirs and Personal Stories
    • Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia by Marya Hornbacher: This raw and honest memoir provides an intimate look at Hornbacher’s struggle with eating disorders and the impact on her life.
    • Life Without Ed by Jenni Schaefer: Schaefer shares her journey to recovery from an eating disorder, presenting the disorder as an abusive relationship she had to end.
    Clinical Guides and Academic Texts
    • Eating Disorders: A Comprehensive Guide to Medical Care and Complications by Philip S. Mehler and Arnold E. Andersen: This book provides an in-depth look at the medical complications associated with eating disorders and offers guidelines for treatment.
    • Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Eating Disorders: A Comprehensive Treatment Guide by Glenn Waller, Helen Cordery, Emma Corstorphine, Hendrik Hinrichsen, Rachel Lawson, Victoria Mountford, and Ulrike Schmidt: This guide focuses on evidence-based cognitive-behavioral approaches to treating eating disorders.
    Self-Help and Recovery
    • The Eating Disorder Recovery Handbook by Nicola Davies and Emma Bacon: This book offers practical advice, exercises, and support for those recovering from eating disorders.
    • 8 Keys to Recovery from an Eating Disorder by Carolyn Costin and Gwen Schubert Grabb: A step-by-step guide that provides tools for recovery, including personal stories, exercises, and strategies.
    Books for Families and Friends
    • Help Your Teenager Beat an Eating Disorder by James Lock and Daniel Le Grange: This book offers advice for parents on how to support their teenager through recovery.
    • Skills-based Learning for Caring for a Loved One with an Eating Disorder: The New Maudsley Method by Janet Treasure, Gráinne Smith, and Anna Crane: This guide helps families develop the skills needed to support a loved one with an eating disorder.
    Specialized Topics
    • Sick Enough: A Guide to the Medical Complications of Eating Disorders by Jennifer L. Gaudiani: Focuses on the medical aspects of eating disorders, helping readers understand the physical impacts and necessary medical care.
    • Body Respect: What Conventional Health Books Get Wrong, Leave Out, and Just Plain Fail to Understand about Weight by Linda Bacon and Lucy Aphramor: While not exclusively about eating disorders, this book challenges conventional views on weight and health, promoting a more inclusive approach to body image.
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    Search for a Book

    1. Hornbacher, Marya. Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia. Harper Perennial, 2014.
    2. Schaefer, Jenni. Life Without Ed: How One Woman Declared Independence from Her Eating Disorder and How You Can Too. McGraw-Hill Education, 2004.
    3. Mehler, Philip S., and Arnold E. Andersen. Eating Disorders: A Comprehensive Guide to Medical Care and Complications. 2nd ed., Johns Hopkins University Press, 2017.
    4. Waller, Glenn, et al. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Eating Disorders: A Comprehensive Treatment Guide. Cambridge University Press, 2007.
    5. Davies, Nicola, and Emma Bacon. The Eating Disorder Recovery Handbook: A Practical Guide to Long-Term Recovery. Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2016.
    6. Costin, Carolyn, and Gwen Schubert Grabb. 8 Keys to Recovery from an Eating Disorder: Effective Strategies from Therapeutic Practice and Personal Experience. W. W. Norton & Company, 2011.
    7. Lock, James, and Daniel Le Grange. Help Your Teenager Beat an Eating Disorder. 2nd ed., The Guilford Press, 2015.
    8. Treasure, Janet, Gráinne Smith, and Anna Crane. Skills-based Learning for Caring for a Loved One with an Eating Disorder: The New Maudsley Method. Routledge, 2007.
    9. Gaudiani, Jennifer L. Sick Enough: A Guide to the Medical Complications of Eating Disorders. Routledge, 2018.
    10. Bacon, Linda, and Lucy Aphramor. Body Respect: What Conventional Health Books Get Wrong, Leave Out, and Just Plain Fail to Understand about Weight. BenBella Books, 2014.