Multifamily group therapy for patients diagnosed with eating disorders

INTRODUCTION: This article is the result of the systematic experience of the authors with multifamily group therapy for patients with a diagnosis of eating disorders (anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and not otherwise specified eating disorders) and their families. Sessions are held at a public hospital in the municipality of Porto Alegre, southern Brazil. METHOD: Video recordings of four multifamily group therapy sessions were qualitatively assessed using the content analysis technique. RESULTS: References to similar multifamily group therapy programs were not found in the literature review; rather, only some reports of multifamily group sessions with exclusively psychoeducational purposes were retrieved, however not including direct patient participation. At the final evaluation, multifamily group therapy was considered to have positive therapeutic outcomes for the patients assessed. CONCLUSION: Our study showed that this type of approach, associated with single-family and individual therapy, may become an effective treatment strategy for these patients and their families.

Anorexia nervosa; bulimia nervosa; eating disorders; family therapy; multifamily group