review of cognitive behavioral therapy for eating disorders
TRANSCRIPT
Journal of Psychosomatic Research 66 (2009) 91
Book review
Review of cognitive behavioral therapy foreating disordersG. Waller, H. Cordery, E. Corstorphine, H. Hinrichsen,R. Lawson, V. Mountford, K. Russell. CognitiveBehavioral Therapy for Eating Disorders. A Comprehen-sive Treatment Guide. Cambridge University Press, 2007.ISBN: 0521672481. £35.00 (US$65.00), 444 pages
I was completely bowled over by this book: It iswonderful. A real treasure trove of clinical wisdom,embedded in the best of the available research evidence.Commendably, although this is a multiauthor book, it iswritten with one voice.
Written in a very accessible, straight-forward languageand immensely well structured, it contains information thatwill be very useful for both the novice and seasoned eatingdisorder therapist. Bite-sized chunks of text are integratedwith clinical vignettes, therapeutic dialogue and evocativemetaphors or stories with which to illustrate certain points topatients. There are also many very helpful formulationdiagrams for particular clinical problems. There is lots ofemphasis on the “how to” of therapy, starting with the most
0022-3999/09/$ – see front matter © 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.doi:10.1016/j.jpsychores.2008.06.014
basic components of cognitive-behavioral therapy for eatingdisorders, such as how and why to weigh a patient, what isgood nutrition, what are the medical risks, etc. The secondpart of the book then shows how the therapist can integratethis information in the treatment of typical cases. Finally,adaptations needed for the treatment of complex cases aredemonstrated, where there is either axis I comorbidity, suchas depression or low self-esteem, obsessive compulsivedisorder, social anxiety, PTSD, or axis II comorbidity such asmultiimpulsive behaviors and personality pathology. Iparticularly enjoyed the section on how to work with beliefsabout emotions and core schemata. There is also a very nicesection on how to adapt the approach for children andadolescents, something that has been given relatively littleattention elsewhere, yet is crucial, as eating disorderstypically occur and present for treatment at the crossoverbetween adolescence and adulthood.
This book will become a classic. I highly recommend it.
Ulrike SchmidtInstitute of Psychiatry, London, UK
E-mail address: [email protected]