JourneyOnline
Lion Hudson
RRP $16.99
Reviewed by Tara Burton.
ACCORDING to The Butterfly Foundation, eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric illness.
On a national level, body image is the top ranking issue of concern for 15 to 19-year-olds.
The Parent's Guide to Eating Disorders is the first book on eating disorders that has been written for parents by a parent.
Author Jane Smith is the director of Anorexia and Bulimia Care, and has had personal experience in supporting her daughters with eating disorders.
Packed full of real-life experiences, the book is a practical guide to helping sufferers of eating disorders and their parents.
The chapters cover a range of topics, from first suspecting that a child has an eating disorder, to btaining professional help, managing treatment and the road to recovery.
I found the "parent to parent" section of the book particularly interesting.
Although so very useful for how they relate to the reader, these real-life accounts are at times quite emotional and difficult to read.
Overall, The Parent's Guide to Eating Disorders is a great resource not only for assisting parents who have had a child struggling with an eating disorder, but also for counsellors, chaplains or social workers who work with sufferers and would like to know more about the topic.
