Eating Disorders And Child Sexual Abuse

Sexual Abuse and Eating Disorders is the first book to fully explore the complex relationship between sexual abuse and the eating disorders. The book encom­passes the compelling writings of 26 specialists who thoughtfully consider the numerous questions surrounding this controversial topic: Why would early trauma influence eating behavior? What is the association between eating disorders and sexual abuse? What impact does the controversy surrounding false memory have on the thinking about this association? Working from the premise that children exposed to inescapable stress throughout childhood will be at risk for compulsivity and reenactment of trauma by self-abuse syndromes, this collection provides provocative answers to these and many other questions. Taken as a whole, this book provides an important global view of the topic. Chapters focus attention on the prevalence of sexual abuse among individuals with eating disorders; how a history of sexual violence can serve as a predictor of subsequent food-related syndromes; trauma-based theory, dissociation, abreactive, and ego-states therapy; and a practical and theoretical exploration of the sexual self of an eating-disordered person. New perspectives on body image, feminist approaches to treatment, false memory, and the sexual self, as well as a first-person narrative that powerfully links the two phenomena, round out the discussion. Finally, a dialogue about the controversies surrounding sexual abuse and eating disorders and an examination of false memory syndrome constitute the fitting finale for this stimulating presentation.

This book takes up the challenge of examining women’s understandings of eating disorders and child sexual abuse away from a framework focused on pathology. The central argument is that women’s distress is an enactment of their engagement with certain discourses and practices, rather than a reaction triggered by child sexual abuse. Guided by a contemporary feminist framework and Mikhail Bakhtin’s sociological linguistics, to substantiate the argument, women’s own poetry and drawings are used as evidence to develop, support and supplement research findings. The book establishes that an eating disorder is ‘an understandable response’ to sexual trauma and shifts the focus away from ‘a damaged personality’. Even more importantly, it demonstrates that women with eating disorders are using their bodies as a form of resistance to express silenced traumas that remain in the silenced female body. This is an active way of making sense of experiences of child sexual abuse.

Foreign Bodies: Eating Disorders, Childhood Sexual Abuse, and Trauma-Informed Treatment addresses the association between eating disorders and childhood sexual abuse, proposing a new way of treating those suffering from eating disorders who were sexually abused as children. Based on testimonies of survivors of abuse who subsequently developed eating disorders, it offers a new form of diagnosis and treatment, arguing that the eating-disorder field often ignores the traumatic sources of eating disorders, leading to some treatment programs not being commensurate, and at times conflicting, with the principles of childhood sexual abuse treatment. The case studies used to highlight the link between childhood sexual abuse and eating disorders are presented from the perspective of the women involved, in their own words. Their voices are supplemented by Gur’s own stance as a clinician specializing in the treatment of sexual abuse and CPTSD. The book is divided into three parts: the first deals with eating disorders, childhood sexual abuse, and the association between them; the second examines the treatment of eating disorders and childhood sexual abuse; and the third offers a new form of diagnosis and treatment for eating disorders. This book will be of great interest to researchers and postgraduate students in the eating disorder field of psychotherapy, psychology, or psychiatry, plus those studying the treatment of trauma. It will also be of interest to clinical dieticians, psychologists, social workers, doctors, nurses, eating disorder specialists, and policymakers in the mental health field, as well as eating disorders sufferers and those who care for them.

Eating disorders have become recognized as a serious problem for tens of thousands of Americans. Once considered a faddish diagnosis, therapists now view anorexia nervosa, bulimia & other eating disorders as serious health problems that often reflect underlying psychiatric conditions. It is widely recognized today that many individuals suffering from eating disorders were sexually abused as children. Despite this new understanding of the causes of the eating disorders, little progress has been made in developing effective treatment programs. Most existing approaches simply do not work, resulting in millions of dollars of unnecessary health care costs each year. HEALING THE HUNGRY HEART uses an actual case study to trace the development of an eating disorder & its ultimate resolution. This serves as the basis for a comprehensive discussion of the link between eating disorders & sexual abuse. Dialogue from therapy sessions is blended with the therapist's analysis & with research data on the nature of the eating disorder/sexual abuse syndrome, making this book timely reading for clinicians & social service professionals, along with others who have a personal or professional interest in the topic. The authors outline an innovative program design specifically for the treatment of individuals faced with eating disorders. Published by: MSRG Publications, 1407 Union Ave., Suite 200, Memphis, TN 38104. (901) 726-6808.

Drawing on many years' experience as a practitioner, Sara Gilbert explains how to structure assessment and programmes of treatment for eating disorders.

Anorexia Nervosa and other eating disorders are arguably the most complex mental health problems that a child or adolescent may experience. Numbers seeking help are on the increase, and the complexity of these disorders challenges even the most experienced clinician. In this 2006 book, the experience of numerous practitioners with international reputations in the field is brought to bear on the broad range of issues a good clinician needs to know about, from the history of the disorder through to treatment, psychopharmacology, the psychotherapies, epidemiology, comorbidities, eating disorders in boys, and neuroimaging. The book is divided into parts detailing the scientific underpinnings, abnormal states, the evidence base for treatments, and finally public health issues, including service delivery models and perspectives on prognosis and outcomes. Clinicians encountering eating disorders will find this latest addition to the Cambridge Child and Adolescent Psychiatry series invaluable.

Updated to reflect recent DSM categorizations, this edition includes coverage of binge-eating disorder and examines pharmacological as well as psychotherapeutic approaches to treating eating disorders.

Examines the relationship between body image disturbances and eating disorders in our most vulnerable population: children and adolescents. The editors present a dynamic approach that combines current research, assessment techniques, and suggestions for treatment and prevention. This volume delivers direction for researchers in the field as well as guidance for practitioners and clinicians working with young clients suffering from these disorders.