Recommended reading

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Recommended reading

General Anorexia/Eating Disorders

Title Reference Why it is useful
Eating Disorders in the United Kingdom: Review of the Provision of Health Care Services for Men with Eating Disorders Cooperman, J., (2000) Eating Disorders in the United Kingdom: Review of the Provision of Health Care Services for Men with Eating Disorders. Report. Norwich: UK Eating Disorders Association UK Eating Disorders Association. Jenette Cooperman’s study was and is still important. Commissioned by the UK Eating Disorders Association (which is now called Beat) Cooperman highlighted a number of areas of development for males with eating dis-orders. Reading her study and looking at the changes made in the time since 2000 will show how much of her conclusions are still relevant.
Anorexia Nervosa & Bulimia

 

 Duker, M. & Slade, R., (2003) Anorexia Nervosa & Bulimia. 2nd ed. Maidenhead: Open University Press.

 

 Duker and Slade’s book is an often cited and used tool to give people a first experience of anorexia and bulimia, their effects and challenges. Although knowledge about eating disorders has increased the books still gives valuable insight and information in a clear manner.
Eating Disorders are Serious Mental Illnesses Klump, K. et al., (2009) Academy for Eating Disorders Position Paper: Eating Disorders are Serious Mental Illnesses. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 42(2), pp.97-103.

 

 This paper is very important for people interested in researching and finding information out about eating disorders. The paper is co-authored by five of well-known academics within the area and it essentially calls for eating disorders to be given the same recognition by mental health professionals and the wider world as illnesses such as schizophrenia and bi-polar, they cite the life changing effects of eating disorders. Essentially as from the title they desire for people to see them as the serious illnesses they are as opposed to negative connotations people think they are.
Anorexia Nervosa A Recovery Guide for Sufferers, Families and Friends

 

 Treasure, J. & Alexander, J., 2013. Anorexia Nervosa Recovery Guide for Sufferers, Families and Friends. 2nd ed. Hove: Routledge.

 

 

 

 Written as a guide to people experiencing the illness, the authors communicate in an easy to understand manner, without complex terminology. The book is split into sections such as trying to help a person with anorexia, the strains it may cause upon the social unit. However, Treasure and Alexander clearly explains anorexia, the personality traits of sufferers, and the effects both psychological and nutritional which are often difficult to find explained in one place so clearly.

 

Male Anorexia Specific  

Anorexia Nervosa in Males: Similarities and Differences to Anorexia Nervosa in Females  Crisp, A. et al., (2006) Anorexia Nervosa in Males: Similarities and Differences to Anorexia Nervosa in Females. European Eating Disorders Review, 14(3), pp.163-67. Although there are many similarities between males and females with anorexia. This study sets out some of the similarities and differences. It is important as people need to be aware that one cap fits all approaches do not benefit all people.

 
Eating Disorders in Men: A Review of the Literature.  Jones, W.R. & Morgan, J.F., (2010) Eating Disorders in Men: A Review of the Literature. Journal of Public Mental Health, 9(2), pp.23-31. This review of published academic literature by Jones and Morgan, allows the reader to get a overview of literature within the area.
An exploration of the lived experiences of men who have an eating disorder in the guise of anorexia or a-typical anorexia/EDNOS.  Lyons, G., (2018) An exploration of the lived experiences of men who have an eating disorder in the guise of anorexia or a-typical anorexia/EDNOS. PhD Thesis, University of Salford. http://usir.salford.ac.uk/id/eprint/46343/ Although a PhD, this study is one of the only ones to actually illustrate the lived experiences of men and goes further than most investigating men’s lives outside of the treatment environment. Most literature is quantitative whereas this is qualitative investigation.
Poor Decision Making in Male Patients with Anorexia Nervosa. 

 

 Tchanturia, K. et al., (2012) Poor Decision Making in Male Patients with Anorexia Nervosa. European Eating Disorders Review, 20(2), pp.169–173.

 

 This study confirmed that men with anorexia suffered from cognitive decline which impairs decision making. Although this was known about for women, for men there was little academic evidence at this point.
Treatment Issues and Outcomes for Males With Eating Disorders.  Weltzin, T.E. et al., (2012) Treatment Issues and Outcomes for Males With Eating Disorders. Eating Disorders, 20(5), pp.444-59. This study examined the assessment and treatment outcomes of 111 men who received residential treatment for anorexia. Larger samples such as this have are often hard to come by.

 

Suggested Non-Academic Or, Non-Anorexia Specific Reading 

Title Reference Why
The Biology of Human Starvation.  Keys, A. et al., (1950) The Biology of Human Starvation. Minnesota: University of Minnesota Press.

 

 Key’s seminal study is very difficult or expensive to attain. However, if the opportunity arises to read this work it must be taken. Wrote during the later stages of WW2 and aimed at finding a way to refeed a destroyed Europe with only the basic available food stuffs. This study examines in detail starvation and refeeding through an experiment on volunteers. Much of what we know about the effects (physical and psychological) of starvation are from this study.
One day in the life of Ivan Denisovich  Solzhenitsyn., A (1963). One day in the life of Ivan Denisovich. New York: E. P. Dutton & Co., Inc.

 

 Although a book about the gulag, Ivan Denisovich’s pre-occupation with food is very similar to that of an anorexic and can give an insight to a non-anorexic into the illness. Recommend by Professor Janet Treasure
The Great Starvation Experiment  Tucker, T., (2006) The Great Starvation Experiment. New York: Free Press.

 

 This is an enjoyable book which examines some of the stories of the men who took part in Keys (1950) starvation experiment. Although not an “academic” work it provides a flavour of Key’s starvation study and its conclusions.