Re:Eating disorders

With anorexic clients we need to work at different levels simultaneously. It is helpful to identify what type of family structure contribute to the symptom ( look for enmeshmesh, disengage, triangulation, hx of parental eating disorder, developmental stage (adolescency), etc..).

The health of the child is crucial (needs to gain cost at any cost otherwise is going to die). A year ago I had a 15 year old female who refused to eat at a residential treatment facility. I instructed the staff to watch her eating and was not allow to leave the table until finishing her meal. I worked with the nurses and the nutritionist.The girl was free to select her own meals from a menu prepared by a dietitian.

Initially the nurse weighted her everyday. As she started to gain weight the girl monitored her own weight without the nurse.

During the family sessions I promoted the girl differentiation from her parents. The parents were separated but still undecided about divorce.

Also the girl was encouraged to participated in group activities and to establish new friendships.

It was hard work. To me is about creating a context in which the symptom is unproductive while attending to the individual needs of the child/adolescent.

Replies:

Re:Eating disorders, by Bruce Kirkcaldy, 11/04/02 Re:Eating disorders, by Steve Lankton, 12/16/02

| Behavior OnLine Home Page | Disclaimer |

Copyright © 1996-2004 Behavior OnLine, Inc. All rights reserved.