"Anorexia nervosa and bulimia have long perplexed clinicians, families, and the patients themselves. This book presents a novel approach to the understanding and treatment of these eating disorders and sheds light on a variety of other addictive behaviors as well." "Here anorexia nervosa and bulimia are identified as addictions to endorphins, hormones that are secreted by the body in response to self-starvation and purging and that, because of their reinforcing power, also perpetuate these behaviors. Following this line of thought, supported by both research and clinical experience, the book provides a parsimonious but rational and complete explanation for these enigmatic conditions." "Based on this understanding, the author develops a treatment model that involves learning about the addictive process, cognitive-behavioral strategies for withdrawing from endorphins stimulated by self-starvation or binge/purging, and psychotherapy for the underlying depression and anxiety. For both anorexia nervosa and bulimia, the implementation of this model is shown in numerous case examples." "The physical and psychological effects of endorphin addiction are evident in a wide variety of human behaviors motivated by the pursuit of endorphins. The author demonstrates the role of endorphin reward in other addictive behaviors, from obsessive exercise to religious fanaticism and cult involvement, which can be treated with similar methods." "Integrating mind and body, research and clinical experience, this book challenges all those who treat and are affected by eating disorders and other addictive behaviors to revise their thinking. Truly, Dr. Huebner has removed the "enigma" from these conditions."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

This is an impressive work: carefully structured, researched and written . . . a refreshingly lucid account that is both intellectually stimulating and professionally helpful.-Janet McCalman Addicts are generally regarded with either pity or grave disapproval. But is being addicted to something necessarily bad? These attitudes are explicit both in contemporary medical literature and in popular, self-help texts. We categorise addiction as unnatural, diseased and self-destructive. We demonise pleasure and desire, and view the addict as physically and morally damaged. Helen Keane's thought-provoking text examines these assumptions in a new light. In asserting that the 'wrongness' of addiction is not fixed or indeed obvious, she presents a refreshing challenge to more conventional accounts of addiction. She also investigates the notion that people can be addicted to eating, love and sex, just as they are to drugs and alcohol. What's Wrong with Addiction? shows that most of our ideas about addiction take certain ideals of health and normality for granted. It exposes strains in our society's oppositions between health and disease, between the natural and the artificial, between order and disorder, and between self and other.

This book disseminates current information pertaining to the modulatory effects of foods and other food substances on behavior and neurological pathways and, importantly, vice versa. This ranges from the neuroendocrine control of eating to the effects of life-threatening disease on eating behavior. The importance of this contribution to the scientific literature lies in the fact that food and eating are an essential component of cultural heritage but the effects of perturbations in the food/cognitive axis can be profound. The complex interrelationship between neuropsychological processing, diet, and behavioral outcome is explored within the context of the most contemporary psychobiological research in the area. This comprehensive psychobiology- and pathology-themed text examines the broad spectrum of diet, behavioral, and neuropsychological interactions from normative function to occurrences of severe and enduring psychopathological processes.

The abundance of food in the developed countries of the world has seemingly spawned an epidemic of disorders connected to the food. Extremes such as intensive concern about one's body image and total disregard for it have resulted in countries which contain enormous segments of the population who are either obese or bordering on anorexia nervosa. This book gathers state-of-the-art research from leading scientists throughout the world which offers important information on understanding the underlying causes and discovering the most effective treatments for eating disorders.

This book takes a unique approach to the examination of the eating disorder, anorexia nervosa (and bulimia). White, middle-class, heterosexual women share their insights into the emergence of their illnesses through detailed interviews that consider perceptions of the role of family, the influence of cultural messages regarding thinness and beauty, the agency these women exert in the use of weight control to cope with life’s stressors, the meaning they attach to their eating disorders and how these issues together perpetuate their disease. The book uses a Symbolic Interactionist framework and a grounded theory approach to examine the narratives which emerge from these women’s stories. Themes of family, culture, and self arise in their narratives; these form the theoretical underpinnings for this book, and combine to shape the comprehensive model of eating disorders that emerges from this study. Haworth-Hoeppner’s book will appeal to researchers and advanced students of sociology, women’s studies, family studies, social psychology, and gender studies.

The most comprehensive source for the latest research and practicetechniques for diagnosing and treating addictive disorders "This book brings together an array of international experts onaddictive disorders. Robert Coombs's Handbook of AddictiveDisorders discusses the contemporary issues surrounding theunderstanding of addiction, from diagnosis to treatment of anaddicted client. The Handbook of Addictive Disorders is anexample of practical and clinical information at its best." -Lorraine D. Grymala, Executive Director American Academy of HealthCare Providers in the Addictive Disorders The Handbook of Addictive Disorders: A Practical Guide toDiagnosis and Treatment is a comprehensive, state-of-the-artresource, featuring valuable contributions from a multidisciplinaryteam of leading experts. This unique guide deftly defines addictionand examines its comorbidity with other problems. Subsequentchapters present an overview of addictive disorders coupled withstrategies for accurately diagnosing them, planning effectivetreatment, and selecting appropriate interventions. Chapters onpublic policy and prevention are of indispensable value in light ofthis growing health concern. The only reference available to cover the full spectrum ofaddictions and addictive behaviors, the Handbook of AddictiveDisorders provides the most current research and treatmentstrategies for overcoming: Chemical dependency Workaholism Compulsive gambling Eating disorders Sex addiction Compulsive buying This useful guide features case studies, figures and diagrams,lists of practical interventions for each disorder, andself-assessment exercises for clients. Psychologists, addiction counselors, social workers, and othersworking in the addictions field will find the Handbook ofAddictive Disorders to be an essential resource for practical,validated information on all types of addictions and their relatedproblems.

New edition building on the success of previous one. Retains core aim of providing an accessible introduction to behavioral neuroanatomy.