Eating disorders have been around for centuries - the earliest known descriptions of anorexia nervosa date back to the 12th century and are related to Saint Catherine of Siena, who denied food as part of spiritual practice. For better or for worse, it took seven centuries for the term to find itself a place in health and medical literature, with Hilde Bruch publishing a book Eating Disorders: Obesity, Anorexia, and the Person Within. Most authors argue that the increase in the number of people, particularly women, suffering from eating disorders is due to cultural pressures of the new age: the ideal of thinness, dieting, and depression have all collided in the complex range of conditions that affect people physically, socially and psychologically. The important thing to know is that anyone can develop an eating disorder, regardless of age or gender. Another thing to note at the very beginning is that there's no single reason why someone develops the condition. Instead, there's a number of factors that increases one's predispositions, such as genetic, environmental, psychological, biological and social factors. Disorders are treatable, and full recovery is possible; however, timing matters. The sooner one accepts his/her disorder and makes steps towards getting treatment, the smoother the recovery will be. The realization that it is not enough for the person to begin eating normally again in order to fight his or her eating disorder is the key to receiving proper treatment. Hope this book will help you face the person within you and beat your eating disorder.