The Starving Family

Cheryl Dellasega
Champion Press (2006)
ISBN 1932783393
Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (9/06)

“The Starving Family,” is a compassionate, comprehensive book written for families dealing with children that have eating disorders.  The author is donating all of the proceeds from this book to the Eating Disorders Program at Penn State.  Dellasega has knowledge in dealing with eating disorders based upon personal experience with herself and her daughter. She wrote this book as a resource for families dealing with this issue. She found that parents who have gone through this experience with their children make great resources for parents who are dealing with it.  In addition to giving families resources with which to cope, they will also find it helpful to know that they are not alone.

When there is a child with an eating disorder, families tend to have feelings of guilt, grief and powerlessness.  The whole family needs treatment because the dynamics of the disease affect everyone in it.  For example, siblings tend to develop resentment when they feel like their needs are placed on the back burner.  It is also common for parents to feel hopelessness because they feel like they cannot provide for their child.  While the child is in therapy, financial burdens tend to be incurred.  Insurance does not usually help with treatment unless the child is considered in grave danger.  Schools do not always provide the proper support that a child needs.  Parents need to educate themselves on what their legal rights are.  This information is all included in “The Starving Family.”

There is also a lot of advice given for parents from parents.  This includes, information on how siblings are affected, the need to educate yourself early on about eating disorders, and also the admonition not to take it personally; the child’s eating disorder is not about you.

There is a wealth of resources offered for parents.  This includes a dos and don’ts list for families, resources for males, reference charts, numerous website references, and bibliographical resources.  I really appreciated the amount of research that Dellasega put into writing this book.  She did not limit herself to any one source; she really put her heart into this work.  Her warmth and caring nature shine through in her writing.  “The Starving Family,” is a must read for families dealing with eating disorders.  It is the perfect tool for them to get information on how to get their child and their family on the road to recovery.

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