The Maudsley approach

Has anyone heard of the Maudsley approach? I happened upon this website http://eatingwithyouranorexic.blogspot.com/

This website really bugs me because it subscribes to the bio-only model without considering family, social, and cultural factors in eating disorders. I'm not against the Maudsley method. I think it could potentially work for SOME families. I just don't like how these people discount the experiences of people who come from dysfunctional families. Sometimes people like to use biology as an excuse.

I don't doubt that genetics is PART of the picture. But the Maudsley parents argue that eating disorders are biologically based. I believe eating disorders are INFLUENCED by biology but not based in it. Something in the environment has to trigger a genetically suseptible person, whether it's family dysfunction, school bullying, culture, or a combination of factors. There's no denying that many people with eating disorders come from dysfunctional families. It's also a fact that eating disorders tend to strike middle class and wealthy people. I had an unhealthy relationship with my mother who destroyed my self-esteem and I'm chucking up my food now. I'm also from a solidly middle class background so I have the luxury of binging and purging. I mean really, how many people in Iraq and Afghanistan are suffering from anorexia or bulimia? Maybe I have a slight genetic predisposition for depression. Combine that with my middle class upbringing and unhealthy family dynamics and I'm puking my food. If my mother had raised me in the ghetto, or a trailer park, or a slum neighborhood in a "Third World" country, I probably would have found some other way to cope with my feelings.

Diseases don't happen in a vacuum. I'm not just talking about eating disorders. It's true for diseases like cancer, diabetes or asthmas. Some people get cancer because they smoked cigarettes and ate unhealthy foods while others live healthy lifestyles and still get cancer. Some people get diabetes because they didn't exercise or eat right while others develop it despite living a healthy lifestyle. There are also some children who develop asthma being exposed to unhealthy toxins in the air yet some kids develop asthma even though they lived in a healthy environment. Every case is different. Human bodies and brains are complex. The bio-only model is far too narrow.

Anyone have thoughts on this? I'm really bothered by people who have the bio-only mindset.

I'm more concerned about why their mindset bugs you so. I think you feel that their mindset would invalidate your mother's abuse? It could be that, for you, there is more than one reason and more than one issue?

i think many drs prescribe to the multifactorial approach - some call it the causal pie which means that there is no one cause for illness, you get sick from a combination of things, some you can control and others you can't. but like anything, everyone is entitled to their opinion on things and you are free to agree or disagree. if you think it's crap, don't go there.

apparently this approach only works well for a certain subgroup of eating disorder patients -- but just as their are many different causes acting in concert to contribute to disease, and everyone's experience is unique to them, the treatments need to be individualised to suit the patient and their situation. no one approach will fix everyone, you need to find program that addresses what you feel your problems are.