Treatment and Recovery of Eating Disorders : Social Science Perspectives

Eating disorders (EDs) and disordered eating behaviors are considered a major disease of the modern world, being among the most prevailing public health problems in female adolescents and young adults in recent decades, and reaching in many Western countries an epidemic proportion. They occur primarily in adolescent girls and young women, during a crucial developmental stage, and are linked to extensive morbidity and high mortality rates. EDs are complex, conflictual, misunderstood disturbances that often raise negative emotions such as bewilderment, mistrust and fear not only among lay people but also in treatment providers. These reactions are likely the result of failing to grasp why someone would not comply with the basic universal need of eating or put such an emphasis on weight and appearance that renders them more important than anything else in life. This book offers an up-to-date summary with respect to the putative treatment options in EDs.