Parental support could help teens beat bulimia
Publication Date:20/09/2007
Young people with bulimia could stand a better chance of recovering if their families actively help with their treatment, new research has found.
What do we know already?
Bulimia is an eating disorder which mainly affects girls and young women. People with bulimia sometimes binge on large amounts of food. They then purge to avoid putting on weight, by throwing up or doing unhealthy amounts of exercise.
If you're a parent and your child has bulimia, it's only natural to want to help. But it's often hard to know what to do, and some parents even feel guilty for interfering. So far, there hasn't been much research looking at what kind of treatment works best for teenagers with bulimia.
Now, in one of the first studies which looks just at adolescents with bulimia, researchers have tested a type of therapy where family members play a central role. Young people between 12 and 19 had about 20 sessions where they talked to a trained therapist. They were joined in these sessions by their parents, and even their brothers and sisters. Parents were also active at home, encouraging their child to eat normally and not to purge.
What does the new study say?
The study found that children and teenagers were more likely to recover from bulimia if their parents were involved in their treatment. After six months of family therapy, about 4 in 10 young people had stopped bingeing and purging. This compared with just 2 in 10 young people who'd had treatment on their own.
However, because the two groups in the study had different kinds of therapy, it's hard to know whether the extra improvement happened because of help from parents.
The young people having family treatment had a more practical type of therapy. They worked with their parents to set goals about their eating, and they learned ways to resist the impulse to binge or purge. The people having treatment on their own had a different type of therapy where they focused on their feelings about their past and tried to find a reason for their bulimia. So, it's possible that family treatment may have worked better because of the type of therapy, rather than the extra help from family members.
It's also hard to say how long the benefits of family therapy last. The study only followed people for six months after treatment. By this time, the number of people who stopped bingeing and purging had dropped from 4 in 10 to 3 in 10.
Where does the study come from?
The study was done by researchers based at the University of Chicago. It was paid for by the National Institute of Mental Health, which is a government organisation in the US that funds medical research. The study appeared in a journal called Archives of General Psychiatry, which is published by the American Medical Association.
How reliable are the findings?
There are a few problems with the study. For example, the researcher who did the check-ups after therapy knew which treatment everyone got. This could mean the results were biased, because he or she may have been expecting family therapy to work better. You may hear good-quality studies described as being "blind". This means that the researchers don't find out which treatment people got until after they've collected the results. In this case, the study wasn't "blind".
The researchers were also worried that people who'd had family treatment might exaggerate their improvement, to avoid disappointing their parents.
Also, since only 2 of the 80 people in the study were male, it's hard to say whether family therapy could help young men with bulimia.
What does this mean for me?
In the UK, family therapy is already recommended for children and teenagers with an eating disorder. If you're a parent, the doctor or therapist should keep you informed about your child's treatment and give you advice about how to help. You may be asked to take part in therapy sessions. However, your child does have the right to talk to their doctor confidentially if they wish to.
What should I do now?
Helping a child with bulimia can be very difficult. An eating disorder often becomes a large part of a person's life, and some young people won't admit they have a problem and need help. If you're worried that your child might have a problem with food, the most important thing is to encourage them to see a doctor. With treatments for bulimia, many young people either recover completely, or are able to control their bingeing and purging. But remember, asking for help is often the hardest step to take. Your child may be scared or embarrassed, and will need all your support.
To read more, see our information on bulimia.
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© BMJ Publishing Group Limited ("BMJ Group") 2007. All rights reserved
This information does not replace medical advice. If you are concerned you might have a medical problem please ask your Boots pharmacy team in your local Boots store, or see your doctor.
