Eating Disorders Blog

Holly developed signs of anorexia when she was just 7-years-old. Her food went untouched, and she began losing weight. Her parents chose a less-traditional form of treatment called the “Maudsley Approach,” which focuses simply on getting the patient to eat again.

Phase one – lasting from weeks to a year – hinges entirely upon weight restoration. Whereas traditional anorexia therapy often excludes parents from treatment, Maudsley parents’ active involvement is seen as essential to their child’s recovery.

"If a 15-year-old had a bottle of vodka before school every morning, would you say 'Well, that adolescent is asserting her need for control, so parents back off?'" [Dr. Sarah] Ravin said. "No, because drinking alcohol before school is not OK." [Source: Miami Herald]

Dr. Ravin refers to the Maudsley Approach as an “agnostic” approach, meaning there’s little concern about what triggered the illness. Instead, patients focus first on regaining weight – a phase that is controlled by the parents, who set meal times and menus, and simply sit and wait as long as needed for the patient to start eating. Once a healthy weight has been achieved, the patient can gradually begin controlling her own meals. Only in phase three are causes of the illness addressed.

Labels: treatment, family, maudsley approach

Posted By: Stefanie Hamilton 1 Comment

At first, Kitty Brown's parents thought she was just failing to gain enough weight to keep up with her growth in height.

Eventually, though, they learned that their teenage daughter had anorexia nervosa, a deadly eating disorder that kills people at a higher rate than any other psychiatric disorder, including schizophrenia and depression. Kitty's mother, Harriet, says her mantra became, "I love you and I'm not going to let you starve."

Kitty slowly recovered, although she had a relapse four years later.

The Browns' struggle with anorexia is recorded in the book, "Brave Girl Eating," published by William Morrow. The book has been the source of some controversy, as it promotes the Maudsley Approach, which encourages family members to take control of the eating habits of the eating disorder sufferer.

Research has shown that the human body does not tolerate being starved and then re-fed, and that process causes people to feel anxious, depressed and angry. This is often why anorexia is so difficult to treat. Many patients have to be put on feeding tubes if their weights and blood pressure levels drop to dangerous, life-threatening levels.
 

Labels: awareness, anorexia, maudsley approach

Posted By: Eating Disorders Blog 0 Comments

A study that was published in the Archives of General Psychiatry found that teens who suffer from eating disorders may experience success via a family-based intervention technique known as the Maudsley Method.

The Maudsley method -- which was developed by doctors and therapists at the Maudsley Hospital in London about 20 years ago -- involves having parents sit down with their children five times a day to make sure they consume three meals and two snacks.

Parents who have tried it say the method is extremely difficult because anorexics notoriously do not want to eat, and most of them have rigid rules and rituals surrounding food.

• Dr. Daniel LeGrange and his colleagues at the University of Chicago and Stanford University studied 121 teenagers with anorexia.
• Half went into therapy with professional counselors, and the others use the Maudsley method.
• After one year, 43% using the parent-oriented method were within five percent of their healthy weight compared to 23% in the traditional therapy group.
• After two years, half in the Maudsley group were in full remission compared to 23% in the other group.

"What this study unequivocally demonstrates is if you have an adolescent with anorexia nervosa who is medically stable, family-based treatment should be the first line of treatment," said Dr. Le Grange, who is Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience and Director of the Eating Disorders Clinic at the University of Chicago Medical Center.

The study appears in the .
 

Labels: teen, family, maudsley approach

Posted By: CRC Health 1 Comment