Guidelines for the family therapeutic approach to eating disorders.
After a brief historical overview of the literature on family therapy in eating disorders, the authors' own clinical experience is summarized in some practical guidelines: give the family therapist a central position within the team, engage the family and/or spouse as co-therapist, explore the message of the eating disorder on different levels, neutralize the symptoms outside of the family interaction, promote direct communication, facilitate the separation-individuation process, and be available for a long time. Finally some special issues are discussed: sexual and/or physical abuse in the family, broken-home situations and single-parent families, married and chronic patients.
Vanderlinden
J
J
University Psychiatric Center, Kortenberg, Belgium.
Vandereycken
W
W
D005196:Family Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations