Why She Feels Fat

At any given time, five to ten million girls and women in the U.S. are suffering from anorexia, bulimia or binge-eating disorder, with the number of cases on the rise since the 1970’s. Of all the psychological disorders, anorexia has the highest death rate: up to 15% will die as a direct result of their eating disorder. Family and friends often feel helpless as they watch their loved one struggle. They want to help, but don't know how.

Why She Feels Fat: Understanding Your Loved One's Eating Disorder and How You Can Help gives families, friends, and loved ones the answers they need by explaining how sufferers experience their eating disorders.

Through first-person narrative, the reader hears the voices of women suffering from anorexia, bulimia, and binge-eating disorder. Their stories are honest and heart breaking, powerful as much in what they reveal as in what they keep silent. Alongside these voices are another voice: the clear, comprehensive explanations from the authors, shedding light on the experiences of the individuals who are suffering.

Why She Feels Fat: Understanding Your Loved One's Eating Disorder and How You Can Help is a comprehensive guide that gives family, friends and loved ones a thorough understanding of what eating disorders are and how to help their loved one recover. It provides basic information about the warning signs of anorexia, bulimia and binge-eating disorder, common medical complications associated with these disorders, as well as causes and a guide to treatment and recovery. Although the book is written particularly for the loved ones of someone who has anorexia, bulimia or binge-eating disorder, it will be valuable for many types of readers including doctors, nurses, clergy, teachers, mental health professionals, and anyone who comes in contact with people who have eating disorders.

Easy to read and understand, the book breaks down a complex disorder into simple terms that give everyone, from sufferer and worried loved one, a common ground of understanding. From there, the bridge can be built, extending one hand to another in an effort to connect, understand, and help those who need spiritual nourishment as much as physical.

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About the Authors

Tony Paulson, PhD

Dr. Tony Paulson has been treating anorexia and bulimia for nearly two decades. He is the Executive Director of Summit Eating Disorders and Outreach Program in Sacramento, California. Dr. Paulson presents at conferences on a state and national level, and lectures extensively to community groups throughout Northern California. He has won praise from colleagues for his intensive in-depth research on eating disorders.

Dr. Paulson's passion for working with eating disorders grew out of a strong desire to contribute in a meaningful way to the understanding of these disorders, in an effort to alleviate the extreme suffering these patients endure. All too often Dr. Paulson witnessed the confusion and frustration many families experienced because they did not understand why their loved one was engaging in such destructive and life-threatening behaviors. Early in his career, he committed himself to compassionate, effective treatment, and to increasing patient and family understanding of the elements of anorexia and bulimia.

Dr. Paulson earned his PhD from the Saybrook Institute, where he received the Charles Thuss Award for exceptional writing and research, based on his work with eating disorders. He received both his Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and his Master’s degree in Social Work from California State University, Sacramento.

Johanna Marie McShane, PhD

Johanna Marie McShane has been working in the field of eating disorders treatment for thirteen years. She was staff therapist and assessment/intake counselor for the Serenity Eating Disorders Program at Mt. Diablo Medical Pavilion, an inpatient eating disorders program in Northern California, from 1991 to 1994. She was a founding member and director of psychotherapies at the Integrated Therapies Program for Eating Disorders, an intensive outpatient program also in Northern California from 1996 to 1998. Dr. McShane has been in private practice in Lafayette, CA, for ten years, working with adolescents and adults who have eating disorders, their families and significant others.

In addition to working directly with patients, Dr. McShane leads seminars for professionals and facilitates workshops for people who suffer from eating disorders and their families. She has spoken extensively about causes and treatment of anorexia, bulimia and binge-eating disorder, and regularly provides consultation for clinics, hospitals and private practitioners.

Dr. McShane holds Bachelors and Masters degrees in Music. In addition, she has earned a Masters Degree in Clinical Psychology from John F. Kennedy University, as well as a Doctoral Degree from Saybrook Graduate School and Research Center. Along with writing, she has a strong commitment to research in the field of eating disorders. Her most recent research on dissociation in bulimia nervosa has been nominated for an outstanding research award in 2004.