Although eating problems--ranging from body dissatisfaction and dieting to anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa--can begin and typically have their roots in childhood, theory and research in developmental psychopathology and developmental psychology have not received substantial attention in eating disorders research. This book provides crucial background material from both fields, and then makes direct applications to numerous aspects of the field of eating disorders including theory, research, treatment, and primary prevention.
This book was born out of a transaction between frustration and optimism. The frustrations reflected the limitations of current knowledge about eating problems and disorders. Etiological "causes" which are sensitive and specific to eating disorders have been elusive. Although there is some understanding of risk factors, little is known about protective factors. This has made prevention, among other things, difficult. Furthermore, the mechanisms underlying the association between risk factors and disordered eating are poorly understood. For example, it is known that women are at greater risk than men are, but clinicians are hard- pressed to get beyond gender-based speculations and demonstrate why this is true.
The optimism grows from familiarity with the field of developmental psychopathology. It seems evident that this approach has much to offer the field of eating disorders. This book is an early step in the integration of developmental psychopathology into theorizing, research, treatment, and prevention of eating disorders. It addresses four specific goals:
* to introduce the principles and methodologies of developmental psychopathology,
* to review the work of developmental psychologists in several major areas of behavior relevant to understanding the causes, treatment, and prevention of eating disorders,
* to apply developmental psychopathology principles to the area of eating disorders, both in the form of theoretical models and in specific areas/issues raised by developmental psychopathology, and
* to discuss the implications of developmental approaches for prevention programs and treatments.

Although eating problems--ranging from body dissatisfaction and dieting to anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa--can begin and typically have their roots in childhood, theory and research in developmental psychopathology and developmental psychology have not received substantial attention in eating disorders research. This book provides crucial background material from both fields, and then makes direct applications to numerous aspects of the field of eating disorders including theory, research, treatment, and primary prevention.
This book was born out of a transaction between frustration and optimism. The frustrations reflected the limitations of current knowledge about eating problems and disorders. Etiological "causes" which are sensitive and specific to eating disorders have been elusive. Although there is some understanding of risk factors, little is known about protective factors. This has made prevention, among other things, difficult. Furthermore, the mechanisms underlying the association between risk factors and disordered eating are poorly understood. For example, it is known that women are at greater risk than men are, but clinicians are hard- pressed to get beyond gender-based speculations and demonstrate why this is true.
The optimism grows from familiarity with the field of developmental psychopathology. It seems evident that this approach has much to offer the field of eating disorders. This book is an early step in the integration of developmental psychopathology into theorizing, research, treatment, and prevention of eating disorders. It addresses four specific goals:
* to introduce the principles and methodologies of developmental psychopathology,
* to review the work of developmental psychologists in several major areas of behavior relevant to understanding the causes, treatment, and prevention of eating disorders,
* to apply developmental psychopathology principles to the area of eating disorders, both in the form of theoretical models and in specific areas/issues raised by developmental psychopathology, and
* to discuss the implications of developmental approaches for prevention programs and treatments.

The culmination of several years of collaborative effort among eating disorders investigators from around the world, Developing an Evidence-Based Classification of Eating Disorders: Scientific Findings for DSM-5 provides summaries of the research presentations and discussions of the conceptual and methodological issues involved in diagnosing and classifying eating disorders. The mission of the DSM-5 Eating Disorder Work Group was to improve the clinical utility of eating disorder diagnoses by recommending revisions based on sound empirical evidence. Although the objective was to provide empirical information to the DSM-5 Eating Disorders Work Group, the research presented in this book should be invaluable to the eating disorders research and clinical community at large and, by extension, to their patients.

Eating disorders are serious, difficult to treat, and often lead to multiple medical complications, high rates of psychiatric comorbidity, and mortality. It is critical, then, that clinicians be aware of the most current research, as well as understand the foundation of the soon-to-be-released DSM-5.

Improving the definition of symptoms and syndromes is one of the critical challenges the authors tackle -- in particular the validity of the eating disorders not otherwise specified category, into which 60% of patients diagnosed with an eating disorder now fall. In addition, other mental disorders, particularly mood disorders and anxiety disorders, co-occur at a higher rate than would be expected. These findings indicate the need for greater specificity in the nosology, an issue which the investigators address. Other topics addressed include: - Eating disorders in children and adolescents, including diagnostic differences and classification. Also included is a chapter on the validity of applying a classification for feeding disorders in infants and young children, as well as one that covers latent profile analysis to identify eating disorder phenotypes in the adolescent population.- Cultural considerations and cross-cultural variation in the classification of eating disorders, including Native American, Japanese, Canadian, and Pacific Fijian populations.- A discussion of non-fat-phobic anorexia nervosa and its suitability for inclusion in DSM-5.- Current and future directions for the assessment of the cognitive criteria for anorexia nervosa.- A chapter on loss of control eating, including implications for future weight gain, depression, binge drinking, and substance abuse.

Key terms, references, summaries, charts, tables, and other illustrative features are abundant and assist the reader in understanding the research and putting it in context. Developing an Evidence-Based Classification of Eating Disorders: Scientific Findings for DSM-5 is required reading for both investigators and clinicians in the rapidly evolving field of eating disorders.