Below is a list of books recommended by either clinicians working in the field of eating disorders, people with lived experience of an eating disorder and/or their families and carers.
This is not an exhaustive list of books that are available, but can provide a good starting point for those on the search for further help and advice.
Self-help books
8 Keys to Recovery From an Eating Disorder: Effective Strategies from Therapeutic Practice and Personal Experience – Carolyn Costin & Gwen Schubert Grabb (2012)
Body Image Workbook: An Eight Step Program for Learning to Like Your Looks – Thomas Cash (2008)
Brain Lock: Free Yourself from Obsessive-Compulsive Behaviour – Jeffrey Schwartz (2000)
Bulimia Nervosa and Binge Eating: A Self-help Guide Using Cognitive Behavioural Techniques – Peter Cooper (2009)
Change for the Better: Self-help Through Practical Psychotherapy – Elizabeth Wilde McCormick (2012)
Getting Better Bit(e) by Bit(e): A survival Kit for Sufferers of Bulimia Nervosa and Binge Eating Disorders – Janet Treasure & Ulrike Schmidt (1997)
Overcoming Anorexia Nervosa: A Self-help Guide Using Cognitive Behavioural Techniques – Christopher Freeman (2009)
Overcoming Binge Eating: The Proven Program to Learn Why You Binge and How You Can Stop – Christopher Fairburn (2013)
The Invisible Man: A Self-Help Guide for Men with Eating Disorders, Compulsive Exercise and Bigorexia – John Morgan (2008)
The Bulimia Help Method: A Revolutionary New Approach that Works – Richard Kerr, Ali Kerr & Catharine Liberty (2014)
Self-help books for families
Anorexia and Bulimia in the Family: One Parent’s Guide to Recovery – Grainee Smith (2004) Anorexia Nervosa: A Recovery Guide for Sufferers, Families and Friends – Janet Treasure & June Alexander (2013)
Boys Get Anorexia Too: Coping with Male Eating Disorders in the Family – Jenny Langley (2006)
Skills-based Learning for Caring for a Loved One with an Eating Disorder: The New Maudsley Method – Janet Treasure, Grainee Smith & Anna Crane (2007)
Self-help – Mindfulness
Mindful Compassion: How the Science of Compassion Can Help You Understand Your Emotions, Live in the Present, and Connect Deeply with Others – Paul Gilbert & Kunzang Choden (2015)
Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Finding Peace in a Frantic World – Mark Williams and Danny Penman (2011)
The Mindful Way Through Depression: Freeing Yourself from Chronic Unhappiness – Mark Williams, John Teasdale, Zindel Segal & Jon Kabat-Zinn (2007)
Autobiographical novels
An Apple a Day: A Memoir of Love and Recovery from Anorexia – Emma Woolf (2012)
Becoming John: Anorexia’s Not Just for Girls – John Evans (2011)
Life Without Ed: How One Woman Declared Her Independence from Her Eating Disorder and How You Can Too – Jenni Schaffer (2004)
Lying in Weight: The Hidden Epidemic of Eating Disorders in Adult Women – Trisha Gura (2008)
