This ground breaking book draws on original research to critically examine the construction of eating disorders and disordered eating, in an analysis that encompasses psychiatry, cultural representations, and the politics of eating disorders.

 Chapter 1: How We Became Disordered Eaters.- Chapter 2: Bodies beyond Conformity.- Chapter 3: Anorexia Nervosa: the Making of the First Eating Disorder.- Chapter 4: ED diagnosis and Therapeutic Frameworks.- Chapter 5: disordered eating, food landscapes and public health.- Chapter 6: Biopolitics of Weight and Disordered Eating.- Chapter 7: Disordered Eating and the media industry.- Chapter 8: Disordered Eating in the virtual world.- Chapter 9: Orthorexia Nervosa: Eating Disorder for A Pro-Health Era.- Chapter 10: cultural & technological transformations.

This book draws on original research to critically examine the social and industrial construction of eating disorders and disordered eating, in an analysis that encompasses psychiatry and health, cultural representations, and the politics of eating disorders. Centrally, it examines the extent to which eating disorders are not ‘made’ by individuals, but rather constructed by groups who claim investment, experience, and expertise in the diagnosis, labeling, treatment, and management of disordered eating. It demonstrates the impacts of biomedical, psychiatric, legal, pharmaceutical, technical and consumer groups, as well as that of the fast-food, fashion, media and social media industries. In doing so, it reveals how they shape the ways that eating disorders are perceived, spoken of, written about, and managed within institutions and wider society. It will appeal to students and scholars of mental health, critical psychology, medical sociology and anthropology and gender studies, and others interested in our future health.

​Alison Fixsen is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology in the School of Social Sciences, University of Westminster, UK. Alison has had decades of experience in the food, health, and higher education sector, including previous work managing a vegetarian wholefood business and as a complementary therapist before completing her Professional Doctorate in Higher Education Practice. Since 2012, Dr Fixsen has authored over 34 journal papers and book chapters on a wide range of issues relating to the critical mental health and gender studies, neoliberalism and self-care, eating disorders, prescription drug use and critical approaches to social prescribing. 

“While studying for a master’s degree in sociology I recently came across this book, The Construction of Eating Disorders: Psychiatry, Politics and Cultural Representations of Disordered Eating. I was deeply inspired by Alison’s critical perspective on how societal and institutional forces shape the understanding of eating disorders.” (Maria Čolaković, University of Split, Croatia)

“As the parent of someone with a severe anorexia I have often wanted to explore the wider context of how society arrived at its understanding of eating disorders—I often think ‘How has this happened to us?’.  This book represents a very helpful perspective for me, and it allowed me to think about eating disorders from different perspectives and empowered me in my journey to try to help my daughter in her recovery journey.  Thank you for writing this important book.” (Dr Helen Seers, researcher and caregiver)

“The Construction of Eating Disorders is an essential contribution to the critical sociology of mental health. It offers a comprehensive, meticulous, and complex account of the social construction of “disordered eating” in contemporary global societies. This construction is analysed not only through the lens of psychiatric influence but also more broadly, in our culture shaped by neoliberal capitalism. From the media to public health, from corporate interests to the formation of diagnoses, Fixsen unveils an array of social expectations, political forces, and economic stakes weighting on how individuals manage their bodies today. This indispensable work is a must-read for students and scholars of mental health, eating disorders, and food cultures.” (Dr Baptiste Brossard, University of York, United Kingdom)