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Can I Tell You About Eating Disorders?: A Guide for Friends, Family and Professionals ISBN: 9781849054218
Field, Fiona, Lask, Bryan and Watson, Lucy
Published by Jessica Kingsley, 2014
Five different children tell us about their eating disorders and how it affects their lives. Alice has Anorexia Nervosa; Beth has Bulimia Nervosa; Freddie has Food Avoidance Emotional Disorder; Sam has Selective Eating; and Francesca has Functional Dysphagia. In a dialogue amongst the five of them, they discuss their disorders. Alice believes herself to be grossly fat and refuses to eat. Beth often binges and then makes herself sick after. Freddie is sad and depressed and avoids food. Sam will only eat certain things - bananas, chips, Marmite sandwiches, and baked beans. Francesca will only eat foods without lumps of any kind; she believes she will choke on anything else. Their dialogue consists of what they do and why and how their friends and families react to their problems. There is no discussion about treatment, but it is clear that their problems affect their lives adversely. All admit to feeling that anxiety plays a part but don't understand how this can have happened. They all agree that eating disorders just don't make sense. As an explanation of eating disorders, this book could hardly be better. It is clear and concise and gives details about the lesser known types as well as Anorexia and Bulimia which most of us know about already. The emphasis here is on how normal the young people are in most other ways and that they want and need understanding friends and family. Black and white illustrations add much to he text, and each child gives us a list of ways that we can be sensitive and help. There are a few organisations listed at the back of the book. This is one of an excellent series on different health problems and disabilities. Available from good bookshops, from Amazon, or from the publisher: www.jkp.com.
Age: 7+