Book Review April 15, 2010

Binge-Eating Disorder: Clinical Foundations and Treatment

Katherine A. Halmi, MD

J Clin Psychiatry 2010;71(4):509

Article Abstract

From our regular book review column.

Binge-Eating Disorder: Clinical Foundations and Treatment

by James E. Mitchell, MD; Michael J. Devlin, MD; Martina de Zwaan, MD; Scott J. Crow, MD; and Carol B. Peterson, PhD. The Guilford Press, New York, NY, 2008, 214 pages, $30.00 (trade paper).

The conundrum as to whether binge-eating disorder (BED) should be a separate diagnosis or whether it should continue to be part of eating disorder not otherwise specified is not solved in this book. Part 1 is a literature review of BED and Part 2, the most valuable section for clinicians, is a detailed manual for cognitive-behavioral treatment for BED. The latter has been tested in controlled treatment trials and shown to be effective.

Part 1 contains useful information on the clinical features of BED, the relationship of obesity to BED, and an evaluation of different treatment methodologies. There is also a section on bariatric surgery for patients with obesity and BED.

In summary, this book contains concise and useful information for the clinician and a practical manualized cognitive-behavioral treatment for BED.

Katherine A. Halmi, MD

[email protected]

Author affiliation: Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York.

Potential conflicts of interest: None reported.