Eating Disorders and Obesity, Second Edition: A Comprehensive Handbook - Hardcover

"Traditionally, second editions of handbooks simply provide updates of material covered in the first edition. Fairburn and Brownell have dispensed with tradition in this entirely new book. Although the subject matter is the same, the editors have gone to great lengths in this edition to encourage communication between the two fields of eating disorders and obesity....This handbook is an excellent resource for clinicians and researchers. It serves as an encyclopedia of current knowledge on everyting having to do with eating disorders and obesity."--"Cognitive Therapy Today"
"Although this is the second edition of an already widely distributed book in the eating disorders world, it is well worth the investment. The book has been revamped, overhauled and re-written, to provide an authoritative, up-to-date account of the fields of eating disorders and obesity."--"European Eating Disorders Review"
"What can a reviewer say about a book by arguably two of the top researchers in the fields of eating disorders and obesity? True to its title, this tome is truly comprehensive and certainly will serve as a handbook for clinicians and researchers for many years to come. The brief but exceptionally thorough chapters and annotated bibliographies make this a required reference text for the field. The breadth of topics covered in this volume guarantees that it will be the book to be consulted when a question on any issue in eating disorders or obesity is raised by a student, a client, or another professional...."Eating Disorders and Obesity "is the book that Academy members will likely turn to often for reference, since it addresses virtually every topic in the fields of eating disorders andobesity. I would strongly urge all AED members to add this one to their bookshelf."--"Academy for Eating Disorders Newsletter"
"In the second edition of this highly acclaimed text, the editors have retained its original format while completely reviewing the content to ensure that it reflects their goal of bringing together knowledge in the fields of eating disorders and obesity. They have also ensured that recent developments in the field have been covered. The successful format consists of a collection of brief summaries of current knowledge on very specific aspects of each topic area. Each chapter is written by a world expert in the topic and supported by a selective list of further reading....an astonishingly comprehensive work, and one the efficiently facilitates the search for further information should a more in-depth knowledge be required. The brevity of each chapter makes it highly readable, and the eminence of the contributors gives the reader great confidence in the accuracy of the information."--"Nutrition Bulletin"
"The subtitle to this book is 'A Comprehensive Handbook, ' thus setting a daunting task for the authors. However, they meet the challenge well and have created a book that should be one of the main resources for anyone who has to deal with patients with eating disorders or obesity....This book should be required reading for all medical students, who will soon be dealing with patients with all of these eating disorders in their many disguises. It is also a wonderful quick reference book for anyone treating patients with eating disorders because the chapters are well written, short, and to the point. Each chapter is limited to specific aspects of eachdisorder, so one can easily find the relevant information they are seeking."--"Psychosomatics"
"The term handbook is commonly misused in science and health. Attracted by books claiming to be both practical and comprehensive, the all too frequent result is disappointment. This handbook is an exception....Breadth of coverage is what makes this special, together with a genuine interest in bringing together two clinical fields that remain apart, occasionally in conflict. This is a book that will make many journeys from my bookshelf to desk. And I recommend it to anyone with an interest in obesity or eating disorders, student or professor, who is curious to find out about what lies beyond their own specialty."--"International Association for the Study of Obesity Newsletter"
"The need to synthesize all this information in one volume resulted in the second edition of "Eating Disorders and Obesity: A Comprehensive Handbook," which accomplishes its goals commendably....This second edition is not merely an update of the first edition. Although it has kept the short chapters, topics and contributors of the original edition, the editors have attempted to create links between the areas of eating disorders and obesity by: 1) addressing the topics common to the areas; 2) addressing the expended processes underlying control of eating and weight; 3) cross-referencing the different sections of the book; 4) introducing new topics such as molecular genetics, leptin and binge eating disorder; and 5) providing new knowledge, understanding and practice....This scholarly synthesis of knowledge reflects high-quality writing an editorial work, and is a must-have for researchers and academics and forclinicians involved in the care of clients with eating disorders and/or obesity."--"The Journal of Addiction and Mental Health"
"The text comprehensively covers principal topics concerning eating disorders and obesity. Leading experts provide succinct summaries of 112 topic areas....The text would be a valuable in an introductory course on eating disorders....the text is well organized, well written, well edited, and will be a valuable reference tool for clinicians, researchers, and educators alike."--"North American Association for the Study of Obesity (NAASO)"
"[A] comprehensive handbook. Field experts contributed numerous chapters that are concise authoritative treatments of pertinent issues. Consistency persists throughout the text with regard to format and clarity. This book was highly readable....Although this text is geared toward health professionals, interested lay people will be able to gather valuable information from many chapters. This edition is highly recommended for health practitioners and health science libraries."--"E-Streams"
"In the weeks [this book] has been in my office I have used it more than any other text. It is what it claims to be, both 'comprehensive' and a 'handbook'. It provides the reader, novice or expert, with instant informed opinion and points them to additional, more detailed sources to continue investigation....Bringing together such an international collection of distinguished scientists and clinicians under one cover may be an important step to help the scientific community, the general public, and Government funding recognize that both [eating disorders and obesity] are in need of action and in a coordinated way. Clinical psychologists with a current or putative interest in either eating disorders or obesity should have access to this book."--"The British Journal of Clinical Psychology"
"The editors of this book have been successful in presenting and integrating all that is currently known about eating disorders and obesity into one well-organized, carefully edited, sound, user-friendly book. This text is a must for the libraries of practitioners working in the fields of obesity and eating disorders."--"American Dietetic Association Journal"
"This multi-author textbook successfully conveys state-of-the-art information in brief yet authoritative chapters on fundamental issues, basic science, assessments, clinical characteristics, and treatments of all three of the eating disorders....Invaluable for clinicians and students."--"Readings"
"This volume was boldly conceived....[Brownell and Fairburn] have attempted to cover extensive aspects of both eating disorders and obesity, to tap many of the world experts, to present controversial as well as conventional perspectives to enrich documented data with clinical insights, to be useful to generalists as well as specialists, to elucidate research methodology as well as clinical techniques, and to be current in a rapidly changing field. Remarkably, they have accomplished all this with impressive success....I recommend this book highly to all professionals who work with eating-disordered or overweight patients."--"Eating Disorders"
"Authoritative, accessible and practical."--"Idea Today"
"In the second edition of this landmark work, Fairburn and Brownell have again boldly linked eating disorders and obesity in one authoritative volume. It provides the clinician and the researcher, who formerly had to master two different literatures, with a splendid overview of the very latest information in 112 short, superbly crafted chapters. The first edition of this volume made history; this second edition is even better."--Albert Stunkard, M.D.
"Fairburn and Brownell have produced the definitive handbook integrating the fields of obesity and eating disorders. This second edition of the handbook is even better than the first. Well organized and carefully edited, it is unmatched in providing comprehensive and authoritative coverage of both fields. The book is an indispensable resource for clinicians and researchers alike. It is also a blessing for anyone teaching a course in the general area."--G. Terence Wilson, PhD
Praise for the First Edition
"The scope of this new compendium is impressive, with 101 chapters contributed by a distinguished roster of internationally recognized investigators and clinicians....The user-friendly nature of the book is apparent in the readability of the individual chapters....There are remarkably few areas of substantive duplication in coverage....Looking back over the book, I am reminded of the editors' comments in the preface regarding 'the regrettable separation of the eating disorders and obesity fields.'....For clinicians and investigators, this outstanding handbook should help to bridge the historical gap between those fields."--"The New England Journal of Medicine"
"In the weeks [this book] has been in my office I have used it more than any other text. It is what it claims to be, both 'comprehensive' and a 'handbook'. It provides the reader, novice or expert, with instant informed opinion and points them to additional, more detailed sources to continue investigation....Bringing together such an international collection of distinguished scientists and clinicians under one cover may be an important step to help the scientific community, the general public, and Government funding recognize that both [eating disorders and obesity] are in need of action and in a coordinated way. Clinical psychologists with a current or putative interest in either eating disorders or obesity should have access to this book."--"The British Journal of Clinical Psychology"
"The editors of this book have been successful in presenting and integrating all that is currently known about eating disorders and obesity into one well-organized, carefully edited, sound, user-friendly book. This text is a must for the libraries of practitioners working in the fields of obesity and eating disorders."--"Journal of the American Dietetic Association"
"This multi-author textbook successfully conveys state-of-the-art information in brief yet authoritative chapters on fundamental issues, basic science, assessments, clinical characteristics, and treatments of all three of the eating disorders....Invaluable for clinicians and students."--"Readings"
"This volume was boldly conceived....[Brownell and Fairburn] have attempted to cover extensive aspects of both eating disorders and obesity, to tap many of the world experts, to present controversial as well as conventional perspectives to enrich documented data with clinical insights, to be useful to generalists as well as specialists, to elucidate research methodology as well as clinical techniques, and to be current in a rapidly changing field. Remarkably, they have accomplished all this with impressive success....I recommend this book highly to all professionals who work with eating-disordered or overweight patients."--"Eating Disorders"
"Authoritative, accessible and practical."--"Idea Today"
"On occasion, a book is published that is so unique in its contribution and so completely fulfills its lofty goals that it is bound to become a classic the moment the first copy rolls off the press. This volume edited by Brownell and Fairburn is one of those classics....Both editors have demonstrated throughout their careers a broad-based perspective that is clearly evident in this collaborative effort....The volume stands out for...its integration of eating disorders and obesity across disciplines, its comprehensiveness, and its synoptic style....One cannot overlook the reasonable price of the book...it is a true bargain that is rare among today's highly inflated book prices. Eating Disorders and Obesity succeeds as a valuable and unique scholarly contribution. I recommend it highly for the reference library of anyone interested in obesity, eating disorders, or behavioral medicine."--"Contemporary Psychology"
"It is certainly good to see a volume bringing together material on all the eating disorders, including those that result in obesity. Indeed, the range of the book is without doubt impressive; its sections include the regulation of eating and weight, dieting and body image, measurement, classification, clinical characteristics and history of eating disorders, epidemiology and medical aspects as well as a section devoted to the major treatment initiatives."--"Child Psychology and Psychiatry"

Christopher G. Fairburn, DM, FMedSci, FRCPsych, is Wellcome Principal Research Fellow and Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Oxford. Kelly D. Brownell, PhD, is Professor of Psychology and Director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University.