Youthful Unrest: Parents Need Not Carry Remorse Over Adolescent Turmoil - Struggles with Eating Disorders in Adolescents - Parents Need Not Carry Blame
Anja Herpertz-Dahlmann, a renowned child and adolescent psychiatrist, discussed the role of mothers' guilt in treating anorexia nervosa on a recent podcast.
In her interview, Professor Herpertz-Dahlmann acknowledged the common feelings of guilt and self-blame among mothers of anorexia nervosa patients, citing societal expectations and personal sense of responsibility for their child's illness as the source.
This guilt frequently impacts treatment dynamics within families, with mothers either becoming overbearing or withdrawing, according to Herpertz-Dahlmann. She advocated for addressing these feelings in therapy to create a more supportive, non-judgmental treatment environment.
By alleviating maternal guilt, treatment adherence and family functioning often improve, leading to better outcomes for the adolescent patient, Herpertz-Dahlmann stated. She emphasized the importance of empowering mothers as key agents in recovery and reducing guilt by giving them a collaborative role in the therapeutic process.
Herpertz-Dahlmann's approach reflects a compassionate, evidence-based stance on family involvement in eating disorder therapy. By explicitly recognizing and working through mothers' guilt, familial dynamics can be improved, boosting recovery chances for affected adolescents.
Scientists in the field of health-and-wellness and mental health are increasingly focusing on the psychiatric treatment of young people with eating disorders like anorexia nervosa. In this context, Professor Anja Herpertz-Dahlmann, a child and adolescent psychiatrist, highlights the role of maternal guilt and its impact on treatment, suggesting that addressing these feelings can improve treatment adherence and family dynamics, thereby enhancing recovery for affected adolescents.
