title: A systems approach to the treatment of chronic encopresis.
abstract: This article addresses two issues which have received little attention from researchers or practitioners; encopresis as a chronic disorder, and its treatment via a systems-based approach to therapy. Chronic encopresis is viewed as a complex process rather than a static, symptomatic entity, with emphasis placed on the significance of family transactional patterns in the maintenance of the symptom. The case of a fourteen year old encopretic male is presented to illustrate the utility of assessing family contexts relevant to symptom display.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001521:Behavior Therapy / Q000379:methods; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004688:Encopresis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D005196:Family Therapy / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010287:Parent-Child Relations