Characterization of the families of patients suffering from anorexia nervosa (psychocorrective measures)

The paper is concerned with an examination of the families of patients suffering from anorexia nervosa and the role they play in rehabilitation and resocialization of patients. 103 families (103 patients and 268 persons from their family environment) were examined. 65 patients suffered from anorexia nervosa of schizophrenic etiology and 38 from anorexia nervosa as a borderline disease. Among blood relatives of patients with schizophrenia, there predominated subjects with pathology of schizophrenic nature and those with schizoid disorders. The relatives of patients with borderline disease mostly had diverse anomalies of the character, largely hysteric accentuation. The common traits characteristic of the families of anorexia nervosa patients were delineated. Based on the parents' personality traits, the nature of family relations, the type of children's education, attitude toward the sick child and preparedness for cooperation with the treating physician and medical personnel, five types of the families could be distinguished: harmonious one and 4 types of disharmonic families (non-harmonious, symbiotic, rigid pseudosolidary and destructive (conflicting). The first two family types are more characteristic of patients suffering from borderline anorexia nervosa, the remainder three of schizophrenic patients with the syndrome of anorexia nervosa. The family types have been thus characterized; a complex of psychocorrective measures have been worked out both for patients themselves and their relatives with regard to the specific features of each family type