Book Reviews

this book to clinicians, people with eating disorders and their families- in fact anyone who wants an insight into the world of the anorexic.

Ben Olsen

Bulimia Nervosa-A Guide to Recovery Peter J. Cooper Robinson Publishing: London. (1993) pp. 141, €5.99.

This is an excellent new book full of information about bulimia nervosa written in a clear and precise style which informs in an easily understood manner. Peter Cooper explains the condition without being judgemental in any way, and without portraying the sufferer of bulimia as a victim. This means there is a feeling of optimism and hope about the book that behaviour can be changed. The author does not say that this is easy and he proffers no magic wands, but describes simply and clearly the process of giving up this eating disorder.

The first part of the book describes bulimia nervosa-what it is, when it was recognized, what are the diagnostic criteria. He does not use alarming case studies or complicated medical language, but he describes the physical and psychological effects of bulimia in a way which makes the reader appreciate the seriousness of the condition without being condescending.

causes of bulimia and stresses how vital it is for the woman trying to change her eating habits to give up the idea of dieting. This is an area where the reader may feel alarm and may need to work towards improving her/his feelings of self-worth and move away from seeing her/himself in terms of shape and weight. The author describes the method of treatment by ‘stepped care’ which goes from level one- supervised self-help - to level four which includes impatient care.

description of ‘Supervised Self-Help’. The reader is told how to monitor her/his eating as it is before starting the programme. Dr Cooper then describes instituting a meal plan; learning to intervene to prevent bingeing; problem solving; and eliminating dieting. Each step is clearly described with a review procedure at the end of each section which is

Dr Cooper emphasizes the importance of the role of dieting among the

The second half of the book is a precise and extremely practical

Book Reviews

used before deciding whether it is time to move onto the next stage, or if there is a need to repeat the current step again. The emphasis is on dividing problems into small pieces, tackling one bit at a time and not giving up when a minor lapse occurs. Minor lapses need not be turned into the end of everything.

would find this book a most helpful guide. Those who need more help will be able to search for it with a good understanding of what they are doing-which is essential to successful change. Many will find they can move away from their bulimic behaviour using this manual. This could be done either alone or together with seeking support from someone who has an understanding of the problems and who is prepared to give time to reading the manual and assisting, by listening, in the working out of the strategies for change.

Anyone considering starting on the path to changing bulimic behaviour

Alison Black

Emotional Eating: A Guide to Taking Control E. Abramson Lexington Books: New York. (1993) pp. 200, €14.95

This book seeks to assist the reader in exploring her/his thoughts and cognitions about food and eating. Given this it is of relevance to sufferers of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, compulsive eaters and indeed everyone who confuses feelings with hunger. The author adopts a cognitive behavioural approach which is illustrated by the use of extensive case material. Although not explicitly organized in this way the book falls into two sections- those chapters that deal with theory and those chapters that deal with treating the association of eating and emotions. In the theory section the reader is guided through the theoretical background relating emotions to eating (Chapter l), enabled to identify their own level of emotional eating (Chapter 2) and led back to more theory relating in particular detail the reasons why the eating function may become laden with emotional meaning (Chapters 3 and 4).

The treatment chapters begin by encouraging ‘self nurturance’. This is an important though often neglected aspect of treatment and deals with building self-esteem and self-concern. There follow chapters which assist the reader in identifying their emotions and the irrational thoughts which underlie those feelings- the emotions dealt with include anxiety, anger,

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