Decoding Anorexia: How Breakthroughs in Science Offer Hope for Eating Disorders

Decoding Anorexiais the first and only book to explain anorexia nervosa from a biological point of view. Long thought to be a psychosocial disease of fickle teens, a revolution in genetics and neuroscience over the past few years has dramatically altered the way anorexia is understood and treated, transforming anorexia into an illness, not a choice. In this text Carrie Arnold, a professional science writer, addresses what causes anorexia and what models (parents and diets) have to do with it, the characteristics of people at highest risk for developing anorexia nervosa, why anorexics find starvation "rewarding," why denial is such a salient feature and how sufferers can overcome it. She also addresses practical information that all sufferers and their families need to know, such as what to do when an insurance company won't cover treatment for anorexia, and how parents can be part of the solution.