Pediatrician and Eating Disorder Specialist Attacks the Blame Game with New Book

The founder of one of the leading eating disorder clinics in the United States takes the finger pointers by the hand, guiding them to the priorities of the patient... the needs of their child

Portland, OR - October 24, 2010 -- Eating disorders including anorexia and bulimia are names that are quickly recognized. That instant awareness creates a danger. The people who are most able to help and treat youths with eating disorders will also assume that since they know of it, they know all about it. Since different people have been exposed to different and often incorrect ideas, the blame game begins, while the child falls deeper and deeper into the darkness of the eating disorder.

Dr. Julie O'Toole is a pediatrician whose work brought her into contact with numerous youths with eating disorders, and their families who were too often making the wrong decisions. Dr. O'Toole founded the Kartini Clinic in order to provide dedicated treatment services for people with eating disorders. She also wants to share her research and findings with parents, patients and the medical community.

In her new book, Give food a chance, Dr. O'Toole starts by harpooning the biggest mistake people make about eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa - calling them a "modern disease". She reveals that eating disorders were observed in ancient times, and first written about in the 17th century. The ignorance of the history of a disease, writes Dr. O'Toole in Give food a chance (http://PerfSciPress.com/give-food-a-chance/), is a major cause for the lack of understanding of how to treat it.

The importance of knowing the difference between history and dogma is taken on in Give food a chance. Dr. O'Toole shares the mistakes psychotherapists still make by relying on theories from Freud, whose work (conducted through observation) regarding eating disorders has been diluted through ongoing study and the growth of modern day knowledge.

Dr. O'Toole writes that when observations alone are the basis for studies and statements, personal beliefs can too often be the guide to a conclusion. During the 1930's, Dr. Hilde Bruch ascended to a position at Baylor University, bought a Rolls Royce and started a private practice in Texas. Her observations led her to state that anorexia nervosa was a disease of the affluent. While no other study corroborated this belief, it's been treated as gospel by media and lay people for decades since. Give food a chance challenges this and other parts of the eating disorder blame game.

The most prominent parts of the blame game addressed by Dr. O'Toole are the claims that a family or the media are to blame for a child's eating disorder. Even the most distinguished names in the fields of medicine, psychotherapy and social science have long considered anorexia, bulemia and other eating disorders as reactions to outside influences. Give food a chance offers a realistic, factual view of the challenges created when more time is spent on incorrectly placing blame, rather than focusing on getting proper treatment for the youth suffering from an eating disorder, and helping them achieve a lasting recovery.

As a means of comparison and illustration, Dr. O'Toole shares some of the family structures and beliefs she has come into contact with during her studies and travels. Readers can examine their own beliefs, in relation to those of other parents of children with eating disorders. Parents can begin to see the choices they have always had, empowering those who are faced with the challenge of a child with an eating disorder.

As well as taking on the blame game, Give food a chance ( http://PerfSciPress.com/give-food-a-chance/ ) presents vital knowledge that enables parents to play a necessarily stronger role in the treatment and recovery of their child. Major topics covered by the book include:

* The history, past beliefs, research and studies of eating disorders
* Signs, symptoms and warning behaviors
* What doctors see but don't understand
* What happens when a child stops eating
* Whether someone who develops an eating disorder actually hates food
* How the whole child needs to be addressed
* A detailed description of the various steps of treatment
* What to do when inpatient care is required
* How to encourage recovery
* Dealing with insurance companies

Give food a chance is available from PSIpress ( http://PerfSciPress.com/give-food-a-chance/ ) as a paperback or downloadable e-book. The book can also be purchased at Amazon.com as an e-book for the Kindle, and for the iPad at the iBookstore.

About Dr. Julie O'Toole:
Dr. O'Toole is a graduate of Reed College in Portland, OR. She also attended the University of Washington and The Technical University in Aachen, Germany where she received her M.D. in public health. Dr. O'Toole's work involves the study of child behavior, especially in those children whose brains do not work properly regarding food and survival. Her main emphasis is on anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and food phobia, as well as eating disorders which lead to obesity or wasting conditions.

She founded the Kartini Clinic after providing care for children with eating disorders and discovering how challenging and confusing the medical communities were making matters for patients and their families. Learn more about the Kartini Clinic at http://www.kartiniclinic.com

About PSIpress:
PSIpress (Perfectly Scientific Press) is a new, wholly independent publisher. Our goal is to publish a wide range of science- and technology-oriented topics, including scientific papers, textbooks, medical and social research, and speculative fiction. Born out of an interest in providing an alternative to the usual publishing paradigm, PSIpress strives to help members of the science-minded community realize their full potential as published authors, and to help them enjoy the process.

Contact
PSIpress
Portland, OR
503-774-4738
press@richcontent.tv
http://www.PerfSciPress.com/

PSIpress (Perfectly Scientific Press) is a new, wholly independent publisher. Our goal is to publish a wide range of science- and technology-oriented topics, including scientific papers, textbooks, medical and social research, and speculative fiction. Born out of an interest in providing an alternative to the usual publishing paradigm, PSIpress strives to help members of the science-minded community realize their full potential as published authors, and to help them enjoy the process.

PSIpress
Portland, OR
503-774-4738
press@richcontent.tv
http://www.PerfSciPress.com/

This release was published on openPR.