Books

Some books that we especially recommend as the best for sufferers and for carers.

An Eating Disorder In The Family: How You Can Help

by Dr Rosie Helyar  DPsych, MBACP(Accred)  £5.50 Available only by calling us on 0845 838 2040

An easy to read, practical, must-have book to guide parents and carers through the maze of recognising an eating disorder, getting help and managing the fall out in the family. There are practical dos and don’ts, things that are helpful and things to avoid.  It recognises that eating problems vary according to individual circumstances and personality, and explains the importance of maintaining stable blood glucose levels by regular balanced food intake, as well as giving ideas for boosting self-esteem, which can help protect against the development of eating problems.

Parents and carers will  learn how their style of coping can be changed to help to induce recovery in their loved one.  You will also learn how to manage the shame that someone with an eating disorder typically feels and which keeps them trapped. We explore the myths surrounding food, dieting and weight loss, and provide sensible ideas for dealing with eating arguments where you have to walk on eggshells.  There is a  section on understanding eating disorders generally, and a two interviews give us insight into the experiences sufferers feel. Finally, there is a diagnostic questionnaire to help you to assess how serious the eating disorder really is.

Life Without ED Jenni Schaefer

A must read. Fantasic and inspiring woman who turned round and fought back against anorexia. One I recommend for anyone who is tired of the voices in their head. We don’t need more stories of suffering, we DO need people like Jenni who reaches out to others and helps them get their life back. Jenni says goodbye ED hello me. Read it.

Good Girls, a story and study of anorexia by Hadley Freeman

Good Girls: A story and study of anorexia by [Hadley Freeman]After years of repeated hospital admissions followed by a decade of substance abuse, Hadley describes her recovery from anorexia and a new life as wife and mother of three. This book is one of our favourites for many reasons. Firstly it describes wonderfully and without self pity the nature of this illness, the frantic attempts of well meaning professionals to cure their patients,  how therapists might get it wrong; the explanations given for the causes of anorexia (most of them wrong) and the intense fixated mindset of starving people.
There is always hope, as this book shows, that no matter how ill, recovery is possible. Every patient, carer and therapist should read this book to understand anorexia and to take heed of what may work and what will not work.

An Apple A Day

by Emma Woolf, Summersdale Publishers

Emma documents her struggle to recover from anorexia so that she can fulfil her ambition to have a baby. Now she has! Even when the will is there, the anorexia fights back.  Sufferers will share Emma’s struggle to take their lives back, and loved ones will understand better that anorexia is not just the wish to be thin and that recovery can be harder than staying ill. This book is a  useful addition to the reading list for people who want to get well.

Fight For Freedom

by Rose Anne Evans

Sometimes a book comes along that will really speak to a young sufferer. This is the one. It shows how Rose Anne battled the anorexic voice to set herself free from its rules, its savage criticism and its torment. Rose Anne has reclaimed her life and we recommend this book to any parent and any young person who has decided, for whatever reason that they must starve.

 

 

 

 

I Can Beat Anorexia

by Dr. Nicola Davies

A more adult look at what needs to be done to help you break free from anorexia. Nicola is both a qualified Chartered Health Psychologist and also a former sufferer, who knows exactly what the illness feels like. She understands that recovery is not just about gaining weight, it is making eating feel deserved.  To read this book will inform both sufferers and health professionals, giving you a thorough tour through all the different therapies that can be helpful.

Hope With Eating Disorders by Lynne Crilly

Lynne helped one of her twin daughters to recover from anorexia and since then has become engaged with mental health issues affecting young people. Her special understanding of the anorexic mindset and her use of NLP to help her child recover has helped her to help others. This latest of a series of her books is full of practical and useful help to guide sufferers and their carers around the maze of information and misinformation out there and show the reader that there is hope for every person who suffers from eating distress.

 

Appetite for Life by Dr Tony Henshall

Dr Tony is an NCFED trained Affiliate Psychotherapist with a passion to heal people with compulsive eating and bulimia. He will guide you through the steps you need to understand why you are stuck and what you can do about it. If you have any problems obtaining this book, please contact us on 0845 838 2040.

CBT for Eating Disorders in Young People - a Parents Guide by Riccardo Delle Grave & Carine El Khazen

Parents need all the help and support they can get. This books can show carers how CBT can work for many young people with eating distress. This is a marvellous collaboration between a world famous eating disorder specialist and an an experienced psychotherapist who was one of the first people trained by NCFED to work in the Middle East.