A great little book for parents who are just embarking on this journey

Jane Smith, Director of the UK eating disorders charity Anorexia & Bulimia Care (ABC) has sent me a copy of her book The Parent's Guide to Eating Disorders. It really is a great little book, especially for parents who are just embarking on this journey and know very little about eating disorders. I've just left a review on Amazon and here is what I've said about it:

For most parents there is a period when you know something is wrong with your child, but you're not quite sure what it is. Is it an eating disorder? And, if so, what on earth do I do? If you're like me, and many of the other parents I talk to, you will probably know very little about eating disorders at the start. Suddenly finding yourself on this frightening journey can be terrifying. How did I fail to pick up on the signs? Am I to blame? How on earth did my child develop this horrible illness? How do I get good, effective treatment for my child? What role can I play in helping my child to recover? And, most important of all, how long will it take to get them well?

This is why "The Parent's Guide to Eating Disorders" is such a great book, answering all your questions and providing guidelines on what to do next. It also includes dozens of quotes from real families about how they dealt with a particular situation. It really is the perfect book for those early days - and to guide you along the way as your child embarks on the road to recovery. Unlike some books, it's not huge. It's the kind of book you can keep easily handy, even carry around with you for 'moral support' if necessary! And, yet, it includes pretty much everything you need, for quick, easy reference. No waffle, no lengthy scientific explanations, just to-the-point useful, helpful advice that you can dip in and out of whenever you need to.

Because this is another great thing about this book. Back at the start, when I knew nothing about eating disorders, I had to go through a huge learning curve, cramming up on everything I could find about eating disorders on the Net. Some of it was good, some not-so-good, and some of it downright scary. It took an enormous amount of time and effort, like suddenly finding yourself thrown onto a Masters Degree course in an unfamiliar topic, and one that you wouldn't study through choice!!! And all this at a time when, really and truly, you need to be focusing your energies on your child and getting them well. So having a book like this to hand removes the need to do all this cramming. It also provides you with good information, without you having to sift out the wheat from the chaff yourself. It is a real time-saver!!!!

As the author of two books on eating disorders, including one that describes my own experience as a parent of a teenage boy recovering from anorexia, I wish I'd had this book with me during those terrifying early days. I highly recommend it!