Struggles faced by teens: Parents should not blame themselves for their child's challenges - Struggles with Eating Disorders in Teens - Eliminate Parental Self-Blame
Professor Advocates for Alleviating Mothers' Guilt in Anorexia Nervosa Cases
By: Verena CarlApprox. reading time: 5 minutes
In a recent podcast discussion, Professor Herpertz-Dahlmann, an expert on anorexia nervosa, expressed a need to ease mothers' feelings of guilt related to their child's illness. She is concerned that these sentiments can negatively impact family dynamics and hinder treatment progress.
Professor Herpertz-Dahlmann's approach involves several key strategies:
- Psychoeducation: Mothers need to understand anorexia nervosa as a complex psychiatric disorder with multiple contributing factors, not a result of poor parenting.
- Open Communication: Encouraging family therapy sessions allows feelings of guilt to be expressed and managed constructively.
- Emotional Support: Providing psychological counseling for mothers aids in managing their emotions and reducing self-blame.
- Collaborative Care: Including mothers as active partners in treatment boosts empowerment and diminishes feelings of guilt and helplessness.
The intention is to lessen mothers' guilt to strengthen the family's role in recovery and enhance therapeutic success.
Science emphasizes the complexity of eating disorders like anorexia nervosa, highlighting the need for thorough health-and-wellness and mental-health interventions. In line with this, Professor Herpertz-Dahlmann's psychiatric treatment of young people focusing on education, communication, emotional support, and collaborative care aims to alleviate mothers' guilt and fosters a supportive environment for recovery.
