Working with people with a diagnosis of eating disorder

This chapter will offer an overview of some of the ways in which clinical psychologists work with difficulties which have a ‘diagnosis’ of eating disorders. As always the term ‘diagnosis’ here is problematic since the conditions are not so clearly or easily delineated and there is no unequivocal theory that explains how, or why, the problems may have developed. This chapter will adopt a multi-level approach which will attempt to explore explanations in terms of the individual, family and relationships and wider cultural contexts. To start with we can turn

Figure 11.1 Anorexia is one of the most life-threatening of mental health problems, with one in five sufferers likely to die of the condition within 20 years of its onset. Source: Motte Jules/ABA CA/PA Photos.