"The last book by the world's leading authority on the emotional aspects of anorexia nervosa and other eating disorders shows how this remarkably gifted healer helped many desperate young women."--From back cover.

"The last book by the world's leading authority on the emotional aspects of anorexia nervosa and other eating disorders shows how this remarkably gifted healer helped many desperate young women."--From back cover.

From Publisher's Weekly: This posthumous collection of case material illustrates the treatment modality successfully employed by psychiatrist Bruch with patients suffering from the eating disorder of anorexia. Two of her associates at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston have edited this final work, taped by the author before her death in 1984. Bruch makes the reader privy to the therapeutic transaction between her patients who are in what she describes as "the relentless pursuit of thinness.'' Emphasizing the conversational ambiance of the therapy and discounting heretofore unsuccessful approaches of psychoanalysis and behavior modification, she helped her patients to heal. The dramatic dialogues in the cases presented allow us to hear these desperate young anorexic women individually explore their thwarted development, under the direction of a compassionate physician who guides them towards wellness.

When a friend or family member shows signs of an eating disorder, the first impulse is to charge in, give advice, and fix what is wrong. But these tactics-however well-intentioned-can backfire. This compassionate guide offers ways to tackle the tough topics of body image, media messages, physical touch, diets, and exercise-along with a special section on talking about these issues with children. It includes information about when to get professional help, how to handle emergencies, and answers to difficult questions such as "Am I too fat?" or "Is this ok to eat?"

DIVA groundbreaking study of anorexia treatment that shows how the treatment often makes the diesease worse./div

This book is an inclusion of papers that were originally given as plenary addresses. The author?s descriptions of his work with a number of people are also included in the book. In these descriptions we are treated not only to the details of his work, but we see the exquisite care he took in his therapy relationships.

First Published in 1996. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.