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Expert Explains the Link between Eating Disorders and Attention Deficit Disorders (ADD/ADHD) in New Book

Washington, DC (PRWEB) September 15, 2006

In her new book, Pieces of a Puzzle: The Link between Eating Disorders and ADD, Dr. Carolyn Dukarm focuses on the overlap between eating disorders and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and points out how diagnosing and treating both disorders can provide the missing pieces of the puzzle that hold the key to recovery.

People suffer daily from the symptoms of eating disorders. For some, however, eating is not the only area of their life that is out-of-control. “Every day I would see women that did not meet the criteria for either anorexia or bulimia, but clearly had disturbed eating habits, with typically no regularly planned meals or snacks, and an inability to follow dietary plans for any useful length of time,” states Dr. Carolyn Dukarm, an eating disorders specialist in Buffalo, New York. As these patients were more carefully evaluated in her Center for Eating Disorders, it became clear that the incidence of undiagnosed attention deficit disorder was very high.

The ADD/disordered eating connection is not difficult to understand. Healthy dietary regulation requires organization and planning – two areas of functioning that are typically difficult for those with ADHD. Good eating habits also require self-awareness – awareness of when one is hungry, awareness of when one is full. Many individuals with ADHD report that they skip meals because they were busy and distracted; these same individuals often report that later their hunger becomes so intense that they swing in the opposite direction, overeating well beyond the point of reasonable intake because they don’t know when to stop until they feel “stuffed.” And individuals eat for many reasons besides hunger – including boredom, self-stimulation, anger, sadness, reward, simple food availability, and stress relief. In addition, weakness in consistent self-regulation, a well-documented difficulty for those with ADHD, often leads to patterns of chronic over-eating.

Pieces of a Puzzle is divided into six sections, covering the spectrum from diagnosis to treatment of both eating disorders and ADD. Each section contains “guidelines” or specific action steps that the reader can take. Participation is encouraged through directed questions and exercises.

Sections include information on:

•    Diagnoses of eating disorders and Attention Deficit Disorder

•    Finding the motivation to recover

•    Nutrition as an important part of the treatment

•    Medication and supplements

•    Restructuring your life to better deal with both issues

•    Guidelines for Health Care Professionals

Pieces of the Puzzle: The Link between Eating Disorders and ADD may be ordered through Advantage Books, either http://www.advantagebooks.net or by calling (toll free) 888-238-8588.

ABOUT The Author

Dr. Carolyn Pivar Dukarm is the founder and director of the Center for Eating Disorders at Sister’s Hospital in Buffalo, New York. She received her medical degree from the University of Buffalo School of Medicine. She completed a Pediatric Residency at Children’s Hospital of Buffalo and an Adolescent Medicine Fellowship at the University of Rochester. While on the faculty at the University of Rochester, she founded Camp Connect, the first residential camp in the United States for teenagers with eating disorders. Dr. Dukarm lives in Buffalo, New York with her husband and two sons.

ABOUT Advantage Books Publishing:

Advantage Books was founded in 1997 by Drs. Quinn and Nadeau to publish books related to ADHD topics. To request more information on Advantage Books, or to order any of Drs. Quinn and Nadeau’s books, please call 1-888-238-888 or visit http://www.Advantagebooks.net.

For additional information or to interview Dr. Dukarm contact:

Patricia Quinn, MD                                                            

Company Name: Advantage Books

Phone: 1-888-238-8588

Website: http://www.advantagebooks.net

Emily Quinn

202-966-4044

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