Family therapy for adolescent with anorexia nervosa – A literature review

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is characterized by a failure to maintain a normal body weight due to a paucity of nutrition, an intense fear of gaining weight or behavior that prevents the individual from gaining weight, or both. The long‐term prognosis is often poor, with severe developmental, medical, and psychosocial complications, high rates of relapse, and mortality, and AN is associated with impaired quality of life and significantly elevated mortality rates that are among the highest of any psychiatric illness. Family therapy has emerged as an effective intervention for adolescents with AN. Family therapy for AN provides a more intensive experience for families needing additional support. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the efficacy of family therapy approaches for AN.