Family therapy does the trick for anorexia

Psychologists have sometimes seen parents as part of the problem rather than as part of the solution when it comes to dealing with their children's eating disorders. However, a new study led by Dr James Lock from Stanford University School of Medicine suggests that family therapy - which involves parents in their children's treatment - might be more effective than individual therapy. The study involved 121 teenagers, mostly girls, who received 24 hours' worth of either family therapy or individual therapy over the course of a year. At the end of their treatment both those receiving family and individual therapy had similar remission rates. However, six months after treatment the family-therapy group had a better remission rate (40% vs 18%) and the difference remained after a year (49% vs 23%).