title: Understanding the eating-disordered patient: engaging the concrete.
abstract: Anorexic patients typically present major obstacles when beginning psychotherapy, including a tendency to focus concretely on their food- and weight-related symptoms. The author seeks to clarify the meaning of this "concrete attitude" and presents a treatment approach that accepts the anorexic person's "limitations." The case of a 14-year-old anorexic girl illustrates how acceptance and understanding of the patient's concrete attitude, especially during the initial phase of treatment, can reduce the probability of a therapeutic impasse and can enhance the treatment process.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies, Adelphi University, Garden City, New York.
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Miller
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D001828:Body Image; D003674:Defense Mechanisms; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011574:Psychoanalytic Theory; D011575:Psychoanalytic Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D011936:Reality Testing