The Void Inside Bringing Purging Disorder to Light

Purging disorder is characterized by vomiting or misuse of laxatives or other medications, after normal food intake, to control weight or shape. More than two million girls and women in the US suffer from purging disorder, and nearly a half million boys and men join them. But purging disorder's status as an "other" eating disorder has left it invisible to all but those who experience it firsthand.

The Void Inside: Bringing Purging Disorder to Light chronicles the growing recognition of purging disorder at the turn of the millennium, reviews what science has taught us about the illness, and explains the medical complications that purging may bring. Pamela K. Keel, known for her work identifying and naming purging disorder, presents irrefutable evidence that it can no longer be considered a subset of better-known eating disorders. She also provides helpful and accessible information on assessment and treatment, and on what recovery looks like after a diagnosis of purging disorder. Drawing on the stories and words of those directly impacted by purging disorder, Keel illuminates how the illness impacts the lives of real people to underscore the severity of this hidden eating disorder, its chronicity, and the need for greater awareness. The Void Inside is an essential resource for accurate, scientifically-based information for those with purging disorder, their friends and loved ones, health professionals, educators, and anyone interested in knowing more about this severe psychiatric illness.

Pamela K. Keel, PhD, is Distinguished Research Professor and Director of the Eating Behaviors Research Clinic in the Department of Psychology at Florida State University. Dr. Keel defined and characterized Purging Disorder as a potentially new disorder of eating, and this work contributed to the inclusion of Purging Disorder as an Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition. Dr. Keel is a Fellow of the Academy for Eating Disorders (AED), the Association for Psychological Science (APS), and the American Psychological Association (APA). She served as President for the Eating Disorders Research Society and President for the Academy for Eating Disorders and received the Leadership Award in Research from the Academy for Eating Disorders in 2019.

Part 1. Emergence of a "New" Eating Disorder

Chapter 1. Do We Need Another Eating Disorder?

Chapter 2. Who, When, and Where? The Social, Historical, and Cultural Context of Purging Disorder

Part 2. Why Does Purging Disorder Develop? The Usual and Unusual Suspects

Chapter 3. Fear of Fat

Chapter 4. Purging Unwanted Calories and Feelings

Chapter 5. Feeling Sick: Genetic and Neurobiological Contributions

Part 3. Help! Why and How to Get It

Chapter 6. Medical Consequences of Purging

Chapter 7. Getting Help

Chapter 8. What Happens in Treatment

Chapter 9. Outcomes Near and Far

Additional Resources
About the Author
Index