Books & Useful Links

Books have always played a crucial role in my life, unsuprisingly! Throughout my battle, I encountered many fantastic publications which provided excelent advice and motivation. They also assisted in shaking me awake to the reality I would die if I didn't strive to get well. Often, I took on board the advice from books more than my actual therapists.

I have also listed sites and links which were of great benifit to me, my family and friends. The web holds little website treasures for those who wish to recover. However, there is the cruel, meaningless sites hoasted by pro-ana fanatics which I advise strongly that you stay away from. Please see the video link on the Media page and keep your eyes open for an article on this topic.

Experiences

Written from the perspectives of people who have been under the influence of anorexia and who have found the courage to challenge their thoughts and feelings into words to help other sufferers and family victims of anorexia.

Thin. By Grace Bowman. Published by Penguin Books Ltd. One woman’s journey through the wastelands of anorexia. Critically acclaimed and inspirational. Buy it.

Anorexic. By Anna Patterson. Published by Westworld International. Devastating but provides hope those we believe they’ll never experience normality again.

Alice in the Looking Glass. By Joe and Alice Kingsley. Published by Piatkus Books. An extraordinary insight into the lives of a daughter and mother and their individual experiences with anorexia.

 

Slim to None. By Jessica Hendricks. Published by MGraw-Hill. Heart wrenching but makes crucial points all anorexics must be aware of.

Sticks and Stones. By Katie Metcalfe. Published by Rosemary and Katie Metcalfe & Cleveland Press. This is my first book documenting my experiences with anorexia. It also contains lists of self-help advice, poems, letters and care plans to hopefully provide and insight into a young anorexics life.

Self-Help

A line in a book may be all it takes to change a view or a mind-set. Perhaps create a moment in time that can be the beginning of a new chapter in your life. All of the books listed are self-help guides written by recovered anorexics and professionals in the ED field, offering unique recovery processes bur the same incentive: to regain a life without anorexia.

Beating Eating Disorders. By Anna Patterson. Published by Jessica Kingsley. Must have manual for recovery.

Overcoming Anorexia Nervosa: A self-help guide using Cognitive Behavior Therapies. By Christopher Freeman. Published by Constable and Robinson. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy treats anorexia by changing negative patterns of thought and is considered as a key method of overcoming conditions such as anorexia. Developed as a manual for patients with anorexia, this is compulsive reading for anyone with the will to overcome their illness.

Eating Your Heart Out. By Julia Buckroyd. Published by Vermilion.

Anorexia Nervosa and The Wish to Change. By A.H. Crisp, N. Joughin, C. Halek & Bowyer. Published by Psychology Press. A must have.

Talking About Anorexia: How to Cope with Life without Starving. By Maroushka Monroe. Published by Sheldon Press. This book can shock you into wanting to survive.

Anorexia and Obesity A Sense Of Proportion. By Peter Dally and Joan Gomez. Published by Faber and Faber. A short but superb book which briefly examines both eating disorders.

Anorexia Nervosa Finding the Life Line. By Patrica M. Stein R.D., MS., MA. Barbra C.Unell. Published by Comp Care Publishers. This book provides insights about anorexia from anorexics themselves, who share their most intimate thoughts and feeling concerning their illness. It also offers clear and vital advice from health professionals and lists practical prevention guidelines for families.

Anorexia and Bulimia: How to help. By Marilyn Duker and Rodger Slade. Published by the Open University Press. This book may well be coming on in years but that has no effect on the advice and support offered continually, page after page, by the experts on the disorder who penned the book. I would have to say this is a definite must have for any family affected by anorexia as it offers answers to practical questions and alternatives to force feeding as a recovery process.

The Lingering Malady: Anorexia and Bulimia. By Joan Purgold. Published by JP Publishing. Fascinating insight into who recovers, who doesn’t and why and many life experiences making this a compelling read for anyone affected by anorexia in any way.

Anorexia Nervosa: A Guide to Recovery. By Lindsey Hall and Minika Ostroff. Published by Gurze Books. One of the best books I have come across on the theme of recovery.

A Stranger in the Family. By Katie Metcalfe. Published by Accent Press. This is my second book on anorexia and a significantly fuller description than back in the ‘innocent’ days of Sticks and Stones. Seperated into three sections, the book takes the reader on a journey through my experiences from the very onset of my illness, to the very time and place when I decided on recovery. The second half of the book has my families documented experiences, revealing their inner most thoughts and feelings on my illness and how it affected us as a family unit. The final section is a self-help manual, aimed at the anorexic and their family, offering advice on weight gain to relaxation techniques, conquering the ‘voice’ to listed incentives of recovery.

Websites

Important Sites That You Must Visit

www.patient.co.uk/showdoc/23069106 - A very brief, concise explanation of anorexia.

www.nice.org.uk – A fantastic site full of brilliant advice on how to treat the problems caused by anorexia.

www.rcpsych.ac.uk/info/eatdis.htm - A provider of well informed leaflets for anorexics and carers.

www.something-fishy.org – One of the best sites on anorexia in existence. As well as supplying accurate information and sensational support, it also offers superb links to a whole host of other sites.

www.lifeafteranorexia.com – My personal site for my book Anorexia: A Stranger in the Family.

Websites From Sufferers

Anorexia leaves scars which can be healed through expression of what you have learned through your experiences. The people who have created these sites have all been through the torment of anorexia and are expressing themselves to help you.

www.anorexiacarers.co.uk - A superb websites covering all aspects of recovery from the point of view of the carer. It is maintained to help the carer cope and help as much as they are capable of during the recovery process.

www.doyoupanic.co.uk – An important site to look at if you suffer from panic attacks.

www.boyanorexia.com – Crucial for males suffering with eating disorders. Hosted by a mother whose own son died suffering from anorexia when he was just twelve years old.

http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/p.asp?WebPage_ID=285 – Another very important site for males.

Self- Help

Depression and self-harm are elements of anorexia that are very often still present once you have managed to gain weight and return to a healthy body weight. These sights all have fantastic information and supportive guidance to help you overcome these persistent, painful issues.

www.papyrus-uk.org/ - (Self-harm help) If you self harm, this site is really important and offers many useful contacts.

www.sane.org.uk/ - This site covers all aspects of mental health and contains a discussion board, contacts and valuable descriptions.

Managing stress & Therapies

When there is an anorexic in the family, stress can be catastrophic for everyone involved, therefore it is vital to obtain help and support when and wherever you can. Healing through artistic endeavours, holistic therapies and exercise (The not for strictly burning calories kind!) can release pent up pain, stress and anger, as well as assisting in the outflow of extreme emotions and anxieties.

www.oneyearofwritingandhealing.com/ - An absolutely superb USA based site that guides you through a year of creative, healing writing. As well as writing and healing ideas and links to healing books and poetry.

www.baat.org/ (art therapy) – Gives you a basic run though of what art therapy is and the benefits that it can provide to you.

www.massagetherapy.co.uk/ and http://www.holisticonline.com/massage/mas_selfmassage.htm - Fantastic guides to all forms of massage therapy and where to go to receive the best treatment.

Writing and Poetry

I always encourage people suffering from an eating disorder to write and read fiction and poetry. It doesn’t matter what you like to write, just write it. See where the pen takes you. It is incredible what you are able to learn about yourself through your writing.

www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom - The golden ticket to knowinf what is what in the writing world.

http://www.writersnews.co.uk/main/default.asp - Sign into ‘Talkback’ and receive brilliant advice from supportive writers from all walks of life.

http://www.poetryarchive.org/poetryarchive/home.do - Packed with poets you will want to get to know!

http://www.poetrysoc.com/ - Crucial on the ‘favourite’ list of any poet.

http://www.poetrymagic.co.uk/approaches.html - A site that offers everything you need to know about the basic ground rules of poetry and where to start.

Food

Closing the chapter of anorexia means opening the chapter of awareness about food and its qualities. It is crucial that you reintroduce yourself to the wondrous world of delicious foods and the amazing qualities they possess. The time to fear food is over, the time to fuel yourself and find joy in eating are here again.

www.foodandmood.org/ - Discover how what you eat really does effect how you think and act on a daily basis.

www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/ - You really can’t go wrong with a BBC recipe. Usually.

www.eatwell.gov.uk/healthydiet/ - From the people who know best – the foods standards agency – comes advice on how to maintain a healthy diet.

Vegetarian and Vegan

It can often be difficult to find support as a vegetarian of vegan, especially if all of your family are meat eaters. The web however is a fantastic source of information from recipes to rallies about the protection of animals.

www.viva.org.uk/ - Passionate about vegetarianism? This site takes priority.

www.vegsoc.org/ - The Vegetarian Society supports everyone who logs onto their site and never hesitate when sending out information packs and advice.

www.veggieplaces.co.uk/ - The worldwide guide for vegetarian, vegan and veggie-friendly restaurants, cafes, hotels, guest houses, pubs and shops.

www.vegansociety.com/home.php - You’ll never feel alone as a vegan again after visiting this site.