Coping styles in families with members with an eating disorder

Multiple studies indicate that the emotions of family members of people with eating disorders significantly affect caregiving . Therefore, it is crucial to be aware of our own emotions, especially when we are the primary caregiver for someone with a mental health condition, as this will allow us to improve our self-efficacy in caregiving.

Often, families of people affected by anorexia or bulimia nervosa arrive at the start of treatment feeling very disoriented and exhausted. Our job as professionals is to help and guide them so they can effectively cope with the eating disorder.

Judith

Mother of a teenage girl with anorexia nervosa

«We should all have the basic information to be able to act against an eating disorder»

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It is very important to interrupt any pattern of avoiding emotional discomfort and to acquire emotional processing skills such as identifying emotions, validating emotional experiences, and addressing them. All of this is essential in the treatment of eating disorders.

The team at Maudsley Hospital in London proposed the animal metaphor to illustrate different styles of emotional response and caregiving. The aim of this metaphor is to raise awareness of the family's emotional response style and encourage a more adaptive one by using examples of animal response patterns.

Types of emotional response from families and the affected person

Ostrich

• Caregiver's tendency to avoid conflict.
• Minimizing the problem.
• The affected person feels isolated and misunderstood.

Jellyfish

• Tendency of the caregiver to strongly express emotions, especially anxiety.
• The affected person tends not to show their emotions.

Saint Bernard

• Harmony in the expression of emotions.
• Provides loving support and care.
• The affected person feels understood and safe.

Types of care styles

Kangaroo

• Tendency of the caregiver to overprotect.
• Distrust in the capacity for autonomy.
• The affected person cannot develop coping skills on their own.

Rhinoceros

• Tendency towards control and directiveness.
• Tendency towards explosion and criticism.
• Confront with arguments based on logic and rigidity.
• Cognitive symptoms become more rigid and irrational.

Terrier

• Tendency to criticize the person with the disorder.
• It encourages self-criticism in the affected person.

Dolphin

• Balance between protection and directness.
• Assists in the recovery process, sometimes by guiding and at other times by supporting.
• Trust in the coping abilities of the affected person.
• Confidence in recovery.

It's important to understand that there isn't a single coping mechanism for the different situations and conflicts that may arise. Anyone can move through various styles, shifting from conflict avoidance to direct confrontation. We may exhibit behaviors that correspond to different animals, but we most likely identify with one of them.

As much as possible, both family members and professionals should align themselves with the approaches of both the Saint Bernard, offering a calm, reassuring, and empathetic emotional response to support the affected person, and the dolphin, providing firm care and motivation throughout the process. In short, we must cultivate skills of care, collaboration, composure, consistency, and compassion for our loved one.