Fundamentals of Diagnosing and Treating Eating Disorders ― A Clinical Casebook

This concise text contains 15-18 clinical cases that covers different types of dysfunctional eating with a focus on the eating disorders in the DSM-5, including the new disorder Avoidant-Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID). Each case will follow the format of clinical presentation, diagnosis, discussion, and suggested readings. The discussion sections will prioritize treatment and management, with practical tips for clinicians. It will also include boxed “quick snapshots” with important fundamentals that are relevant to the case. For example, a case on an obese patient will have a box on nutrition and weight (BMI, calorie charts, serving sizes, how to read food labels). A case on fad diets will provide information on gluten-free diets, including who should actually eliminate gluten, and the risks and benefits of doing so. The book encourages the consideration of comorbidities and differential diagnosis. Readers can get a head start on the their differential diagnosis with the structure of the book. The book is split into three categories, based on the most immediately visible features of the case: I. Person who eats too little, II. Person who eats too much, III. Person who eats in an odd or idiosyncratic way. For teaching purposes, several of the cases describe a “not normal” eating presentation that are not classified within one of the current definitions of a psychiatric disorder. Fundamentals of Diagnosing and Treating Eating Disorders is aimed at psychiatrists, primary care physicians, and other physicians who may see patients with eating disorders.

Janna S. Gordon-Elliott, M.D. Assistant Professor of Psychiatry Assistant Attending in Psychiatry Director, Medical Student Education in Psychiatry Director, Psychiatry Clerkship Weill Cornell Medical College/New York-Presbyterian Hospital New York, NY USA