Eating disorders have come into sharp focus in recent years as manifested by society’s long held obsession with thinness and conceptions of beauty, current media coverage of eating problems and the acknowledgement that both males and females young and old can suffer from eating disturbances.
The causes of these difficulties have not been sufficiently elucidated. Psychological theories have emphasised disturbances in the formation of self and identity. Biological theories have focused on the role of neurotransmitters in the brain linking these to affective or mood disorders. Other theorists have concentrated on pathological family processes in the development of eating disorders. There has been a tendency to combine psychological, physical and emotional approaches to treat eating disorders. During this course we shall explore these concepts both in society and in the therapeutic / clinical context.