Eating disorders and family therapy. Why, how and when?

This article is based on a lecture delivered to the 2nd Nordic Congress on Eating Disorders in Bergen, Norway, 1998, updated to 2000. It examines how earlier ages looked upon and therapeutically evaluated family interaction with regard to the young anorexic patient. The author presents several foreground figures in the field of family therapy thinking, submits his own research in the field, outlines his current therapeutic practice, and concludes with his own answers to the questions: why, how and when?