Laura J. Goodman, M.ED., is a psychotherapist specializing in the treatment of eating disorders. Eating disorders, once thought to be a "white, upper-middle-class female" problem, have now spread across gender, race, and socio-economic lines. The causes are varied and complex; the symptoms are frustrating for the patient and those around him or her; the physical effects are serious, even deadly; and treatment is often complex. Because of this, parents and other family members are often left feeling guilty, angry, powerless, and confused.