title: Family therapy for eating disorders.
abstract: It is a perpetual source of debate whether dysfunctional family communication and relationship patterns cause eating disorders or the stress associated with raising a child with an eating disorder elicits such problems. Regardless, family therapy is a necessary component of any comprehensive biopsychosocial approach to the treatment of eating disorders. A careful assessment of the entire family, including the identified patient; his or her parents and siblings; the parents' marriage and families of origin; the child's emotional, social, and physical development; parental regulation of developmental stages; and communication patterns is mandatory. Family therapy for eating-disordered patients attempts to facilitate the elimination of potentially life-threatening symptoms and begin a therapeutic process of change within the entire family. Research has shown significant support for the use of family therapy in this population, but well-controlled treatment outcome research remains somewhat limited.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Health Behavior, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, Georgia, USA.
authors.forename: C R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Lemmon
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Josephson
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D002032:Bulimia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D002648:Child; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005196:Family Therapy; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008297:Male; D010287:Parent-Child Relations