The Parent's Guide to Eating Disorders: Supporting Self-Esteem, Healthy Eating, and Positive Body Image at Home

by Marcia Herrin Ed.D. M.P.H. R.D., Nancy Matsumoto

The Parent's Guide to Eating Disorders shows that effective solutions begin at home and cost little more than a healthy investment of time, effort, and love. Based on exciting new research, it differs from similar books in several key ways. Instead of concentrating on the grim, expensive hospital stays of patients with severe disorders, the authors focus on the family, teaching parents how to examine and understand their family’s approach to food and body-image issues and its effect their child’s behavior. Parents learn to identify an eating disorder early, to establish healthy attitudes toward food at a young age, and to intervene in a nonthreatening, nonjudgmental way. The authors concentrate on teens, the age group most often affected by eating disorders, as well as younger children. Individual chapters cover boys at risk, relapse training, dealing with friends, school, and summer camp, and much more. The book includes an appendix and sections on further reading, organizations and websites, residential and hospital programs, and references.

324 pages, Paperback

First published April 28, 2007

Reviews

[BethG · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written by an RD. Supportive of EBP for ED.

Doesn’t use person first language.

Dense with info and personal experience (informally written) by author. (Especially dense on explanations of EDs and nutrition, treatment team info )

Has good checklists for different things to observe in different situations (e.g., early signs of relapse)

Recommends PAMS - parent assisted meals and snacks + Maudsley

[Jamie Keever · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, great content and would recommend to families / caregivers of clients. Drawback /content warning: weight stigmatizing language— “o” words used to describe larger bodies.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for parents, patients, and physicians alike. Herrin documents her own struggle and eventual triumph over an eating disorder which propelled her into the field of nutrition. During the course of her studies she found the typical treatment protocol applied to eating disordered patients greatly lacking. Drawing on her nutrition background she has developed techniques to help parents return their ill children to full health. To her credit, Herrin does not fail to address the increasing population of males and young children with eating disorders. Though this book is definitely geared towards the parents of minors (Herrin explores in detail the controversial Maudsley Method) her step-by-step guide to nutrition and confident, realistic approach are likely to alleviate some of the fears blocking those struggling with the disorder because she explains how proper nourishment works to effectively eliminate many of the devastating physical and psychological consequences.

[susan veingrad · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not very helpful

My daughter is 24. There was very little in the book that I felt was applicable. She's an adult & a lot of your recommendations would definitely not work.