Hilde Bruch
Hilde Bruch (March 11, 1904 – December 15, 1984) was a German-born American psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, known foremost for her work on eating disorders and obesity.
Hilde Bruch | |
|---|---|
Bruch c. 1960 | |
| Born | 11 March 1904 |
| Died | 15 December 1984 (aged 80) |
| Nationality | German-American |
| Citizenship | United States |
| Known for | Research into Anorexia nervosa, eating disorders |
| Awards | President's Citation for Meritorious Contributions to the Clinical Services, Baylor College of Medicine (1978); William A. Schonfeld Award for Contribution to Psychiatry, American Society for Adolescent Psychiatry (1978); Golden Doctoral Diploma, Medical Faculty of Albert-Ludwig University of Freiburg (1978); Mount Airy Gold Medal Award for Distinction and Excellence in Psychiatry (1979); Nolan D.C. Lewis Award for Contributions to Psychiatry (1980); American Psychiatric Association Founders Award (1981), Agnes Purcel McGavin Award, American Psychiatric Association (1981); Joseph B. Goldberger Award in Clinical Nutrition, American Medical Association (1981) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Medicine |
| Institutions | Columbia University Baylor College of Medicine, Houston. |
Bruch emigrated to the United States in 1934. She worked and studied at various medical facilities in New York City and Baltimore before becoming a professor of psychiatry at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston in 1964.
In 1973 she published her seminal work Eating Disorders: Obesity, Anorexia Nervosa, and the Person Within. This book was based on observations and treatments of eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa, over several decades. In 1978 she published The Golden Cage: the Enigma of Anorexia Nervosa, a distillation of Eating Disorders aimed at the lay reader. Her other works include Don't Be Afraid of Your Child (1952), The Importance of Overweight (1957), and Learning Psychotherapy: Rationale and Ground Rules (1974). A final work, Conversations with Anorexics (1988) was published posthumously.