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The Three Key Stages of Maudsley Therapy: The Secret You Don't Know!
As eating disorders become a growing problem, many families are seeking professional treatment options. Maudsley therapy, or family-based therapy, has become an important strategy for dealing with eating disorders, especially anorexia nervosa. This approach, developed by Christopher Dare and his team at Maudsley Hospital in the UK, puts the family at the heart of treatment and has gradually had a significant positive impact on many teenage patients. This article will reveal the three key stages of Maudsley Therapy and the profound changes they bring about.
Background of treatment
The Maudsley approach emphasizes the importance of the family in the treatment of adolescent eating disorders. Research shows that family therapy is more effective than individual therapy in helping patients under 18 years of age who have had the disease for less than three years. This treatment continues to be proven effective in adolescents with anorexia nervosa and has also been successfully adapted for the treatment of bulimia nervosa.
The Maudsley Method is considered an evidence-based treatment, and its efficacy is supported by multiple studies.
Three stages of Maudsley treatment
The Maudsley treatment process is divided into three clear phases. The overall process includes 15 to 20 treatment sessions and usually takes about 12 months to complete. The following is a detailed introduction to each stage:
Phase One: Weight Recovery
In the first phase, treatment focuses on addressing the consequences of malnutrition associated with anorexia nervosa, such as changes in growth hormone levels and heart dysfunction. Therapists assess family interaction patterns and eating habits and assist families in refeeding their children. This may also involve rebuilding the patient's relationships with siblings and peers.
During this phase, the therapist attends family dinners to observe typical family interaction patterns at mealtimes and provides coaching.
The second stage: returning the control of diet to teenagers
Treatment enters the second phase when the patient accepts the parents' demands for food intake, weight gain stabilizes, and the family atmosphere changes. This stage emphasizes the need for parents to gradually let their children regain control of their diet and encourage them to regain their physical health in an appropriate way.
The core of treatment still revolves around symptom control, but parents are also encouraged to promote stable weight gain with as little stress as possible.
Phase Three: Building a Healthy Teenage Identity
The third phase begins when the adolescent is able to maintain weight independently, and the focus of treatment will shift to the impact of the eating disorder on the adolescent's identity. This stage involves discussing important adolescent issues, supporting adolescents to increase their personal autonomy, developing appropriate parental boundaries, and assisting parents in reorganizing their lives as their children leave the nest.
Research and Results
To date, Maudsley Family Therapy has been evaluated in several randomized controlled trials. These studies show that home-based treatment is more effective than individual treatment in patients under 19 years of age and whose disease has been present for three years or less. The results of the study showed that 90% of patients achieved a normal weight or resumed menstruation at the end of treatment, and this effect continued five years later.
Studies also show that similar positive results can be achieved with both short-term (six months) and long-term (one year) treatment.
Summary
Maudsley therapy provides a new path for the treatment of anorexia nervosa. The family-based treatment strategy not only improves the patient's physical condition, but also promotes the reconstruction of relationships within the family. However, can such a treatment process really help every patient and their family overcome this difficulty in a lasting manner?
