FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

“ALMOST ANOREXIC makes clear that serious widespread eating problems are often ignored by assessment tests, health care professionals, media coverage, insurance companies, and even the person who is suffering. This book will help millions—including men!” –Leigh Cohn, M.A.T., C.E.D.S., editor-in-chief, Eating Disorders: Journal of Treatment and Prevention, and coeditor of Current Findings on Males with Eating Disorders

“ALMOST ANOREXIC is a vibrant read with a fresh perspective on the perilous gray zone between healthy and anorexic.” –Cynthia Bulik, Ph.D., F.A.E.D., author of Midlife Eating Disorders: Your Journey to Recovery and director of the University of North Carolina Center of Excellence for Eating Disorders.

“I wish I had a touch of anorexia.”

Authors Jennifer J. Thomas, Ph.D., and Jenni Schaefer hear this all the time. Why does a serious, life-threatening illness with one of the highest mortality rates of any psychiatric disorder inspire such cachet? Data suggest that the flip side of our national obesity epidemic is a serious problem with disordered eating. Aside from the 1 in 200 adults with full-blown anorexia, a shocking 1 in 20 adults (or 1 in 10 for teen girls) exhibit key symptoms of anorexia, bulimia, or binge eating disorder but never address the issue because they don’t fully meet the diagnostic criteria.

Drawing on case studies and the latest research, ALMOST ANOREXIC: Is My (or My Loved One’s) Relationship with Food a Problem? combines the clinical expertise of Jennifer J. Thomas, Ph.D., along with Jenni Schaefer’s personal recovery story to help readers understand and overcome “almost anorexia” and live normal, healthy lives.
Some common warning signs and symptoms of almost anorexia are as follows:

• Eating large amounts of food while feeling out of control
• Experiencing significant weight shifts, often as a result of intentional attempts to drop pounds
• Compulsively exercising or fasting to “make up” for a donut or another high-calorie item
• Consistently restricting certain foods or carefully measuring portions
• Having a closet full of clothes too big that you hide in because you feel bad about your body—or clothes too small for when you are “thin enough”
• Standing in front of a mirror and telling yourself that certain aspects of your body are “ugly”
• Comparing yourself to others, thinking your life would be better if you could be as thin as they are

ALMOST ANOREXIC reveals why unhealthy relationships with food are much more prevalent than full- blown anorexia and that they can be very dangerous as well as emotionally painful. Dr. Thomas and Jenni Schaefer show you not only how to get better but how to recover fully and have a more balanced and content life.

Jennifer J. Thomas, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of psychology in the department of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and on staff at Massachusetts General Hospital specializing in eating disorders.

Jenni Schaefer is chair of the Ambassadors Council of the National Eating Disorders Association and an internationally known author and speaker whose work has helped change the face of recovery from eating disorders. Her books include Life without Ed and Goodbye Ed, Hello Me.

ABOUT THE ALMOST EFFECT SERIES

The Almost Effect™ (thealmosteffect.com) series presents books written by Harvard Medical School faculty and other experts that offer guidance on common behavioral and physical problems falling in the spectrum between normal health and full-blown medical conditions. These are the first publications to help general readers recognize and address these problems.