Social Support and Long-Term Course of Anorexia Nervosa

Abstract

In anorexia nervosa there is a very large body of literature which discusses the importance of family structures in the development and management of the syndrome (see Vandereycken et al. 1989). Several kinds of social structures in a client’s primary group (his/her family) can be subsumed under the concept of social support. However, little effort has been made to use the social support concept for research in anorexia nervosa (literature research using DIMDI and PSYCHLIT has discovered only three articles dealing with anorexia nervosa and the social support concept published within the last 5 years). Research on this concept could lead to a better understanding of the course of anorexia nervosa: First, because the importance of family of origin structures for patients decreases over time, other social relations — especially close intimate relations — become more important; second, especially in anorexia nervosa, social support may be a useful way to overcome either social isolation or dependency and therefore provides a basis for personal development and future health.