Family Based Therapy for Eating Disorders in Children and Adolescents

Abstract

Family-Based Therapy (FBT) is a new family therapy method used in the treatment of eating disorders by combining certain methods in family therapy approaches. FBT or Maudsley approach that was developed for anorexia nervosa eventually spread all over the world. Family-based therapy is an effective treatment method that brings adolescents together with their families. FBT is accepted as the gold standard treatment for adolescent anorexia nervosa (AN) and childhood obesity is an effective way to treat adolescent bulimia nervosa (BN) even though the evidence value is low. FBT consists of three phases for AN. At phase 1, the therapist just focuses on eating and gaining weight. Parents are given the eating responsibility of the adolescent. The self-blame of the family is overcome by emphasizing the positive aspects of the family in this phase. When the patient reaches 90 % of the calculated target weight, treatment is passed to phase 2. Previous postponed problems begin to be raised at this phase. Control over eating passes from parents to the adolescent with the supervision of parents, gradually. In phase 3, the family boundaries should be redrawn by increasing the autonomy of the adolescent. When this goal is achieved, the treatment process is terminated. Although FBT is the first-line modality for adolescent AN and childhood obesity, only a few therapists apply this therapy in our country. Because it is easy to apply and highly effective therapy, FBT has great importance in the treatment of children and adolescent eating disorders. For FBT to be widely used in Turkey, the training process needs to be started, and FBT therapists need to be increased. Thus, patients with eating disorders will have the opportunity to be treated on the evidence-based approach.