Eating Disorders Syllabus

 

 

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Eating Disorders

2009-2010 

Pamela Orosan-Weine, Ph.D., Instructor

 

This 10 week course will explore the development and treatment of eating disorders in adolescents and adults.  We will consider various theories of etiology, including the contribution of biological, psychological, familial, developmental, and socio-cultural factors, and attempt to integrate psychodynamic, self-psychological, object relational, cognitive-behavioral and feminist thinking on the treatment of eating and body image difficulties.  We will examine the importance of the initial interview, the establishment of a collaborative working relationship with the patient and the family, and the use of the therapeutic relationship to leverage the patient's often fleeting motivation for change.  We will look at clinical material and the special transference and counter-transference problems that arise in the treatment of intractable, life-threatening patterns of eating.

Seminar participants are expected to attend all sessions having read the assigned materials, so that we can have an informed discussion of the articles and related issues.

 

9/9            1. Classic Papers on Eating Disorders

            Bruch, H. (1978/2001). The Golden Cage: The enigma of Anorexia Nervosa, Harvard University Press

                        (First Harvard University Press paperback edition, 2001 with forward by Catherine Steiner-                                    Adair)

                        -Forward, Catherine Steiner-Adair, pp. vii-xvii.

                        -Preface, pp. xix-xxiv.

                        -Chapter 1, The Hunger Disease, pp. 1-21.

                        -Chapter 3  The Perfect Childhood, pp.38-56.

 

9/16            2. Classic Papers on Eating Disorders

           -Bruch H. (1978/2001). The Golden Cage (continued).

                        -Chapter 4  How it Starts, pp.57-71.

                        -Chapter 5 Anorexic Stance, 72- 90.

                        -Chapter 8 Changing the Mind, 121-150.

 

9/23            3. Conceptualizing Eating and Body Image Problems

            -Boris, H.N. (1984). The Problem of Anorexia Nervosa.  Int. J. Psycho-Anal., 65:315-322.

            -Boris, H.N. (1984). On the Treatment of Anorexia Nervosa.  Int. J. Psycho-Anal., 65:435-442.

 

9/30            4. A Comprehensive Understanding: Biological, Sociological and Developmental Contributions

            Garner, D. (1997). Psychoeducational Principles in Treatment. In Handbook of treatment for eating disorders, 2nd edition, ed.  D. Garner, & P. Garfinkel. Guilford Press, pp. 145-177.

            Davis, R., Dearing, S., Faulkner, J, Jasper, K., Olmstead, M., Rice, C., & Rockert, W. (1989). The                                     Road to Recovery: A Manual for Participants in the Psychoeducation Group for Bulimia                                     Nervosa. In Group Psychotherapy for Eating Disorders, Edited by H. Harper,-Giuffre &                                     K.P, Makenzie,  American Psychiatric Press,1992.

                                    -Overview of the Eating Disorders, pp, 283-292.

                                    -The Multidetermined Nature of the Eating Disorders, pp. 293-301.

-The Regulation of Body Weight and the Consequences of Dieting, pp. 303-310.

                                    -Developing a Healthy Relationship with Food:  The Nondieting Approach, pp.                                                311-318.

-Effective Coping:  Attitudes About Weight, Shape, and Dieting as Impediments to Recovery, pp. 319-327.

                                    -Developing a Healthy Relationship with your Body, pp. 329-333.

                                    -The Road to Recovery, pp. 335-338. 

 

10/7            5. Beginning Phase of Treatment

            Bruch, H. (1988).  Conversations with Anorexics, Basic Books.

                        -Forward, by Theodore Lidz, vi,-xiv.

                        -Conversations Remembered, letter from a former patient and her mother, xv-xix.

                        -Chapter 1, The task of Psychotherapy, pp. 3-12.

                        -Chapter 2, Evaluation: Finding the Person in the Patient,  pp.13-35.

 

10/14            6. Treatment: Interpersonal and Ego Psychological understandings

            -Bromberg, P.M. (2001). Treating Patients with Symptoms—and Symptoms with Patience.              Psychoanal. Dial., 11:891-912.

            -Chessick,R.D. (1984). Clinical Notes toward the Understanding and Intensive Psychotherapy of             Adult Eating Disorders. Annual Psychoanal., 12:301-322.

 

10/21            7. Treatment: The Place of affect tolerance in the development of disordered eating

            -Krystal, H, & Raskin, H.  (1994). Affect Tolerance. In The Dynamics and Treatment of                         Alcoholism, ed. J.Levin & R.Weiss, Jason Aronson, pp. 158-175.

            -Krystal, H. (1995) Disorders of Emotional Development in Addictive Behavior. In The Psychology and Treatment of Addictive Behavior, edited by Scott Dowling, pp. 65-100

 

10/28            8. Treatment: Interpersonal Theories

            Davis, W., (1991). Reflections on Boundaries in the Psychotherapeutic Relationship. In             Psychodynamic Treatment of Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia, ed. C. Johnson, Guilford Press,  pp. 68-85. 

Stern, S. (1991) Managing Opposing Currents:  An Interpersonal Psychoanalytic Technique for the treatment of Eating Disorders. In Psychodynamic Treatment of Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia, ed. C. Johnson, Guildford Press, pp. 86-105.

 

9. Treatment: Self Psychological contributions and Character Disorders 

            Sands, S. (2003). The Subjugation of the Body in Eating Disorders: A Particularly Female Solution.              Psychoanalytic Psychology,20:103-116.

            Johnson, C. (1991). Treatment of Eating Disordered Patients with Borderline and False-            Self/Narcissistic Disorders. In Psychodynamic Treatment of Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia, ed. C. Johnson, Guilford Press, pp. 165-193.

 

10.  Countertransference:

            Wooley, S. (1991). Uses of Countertransference in the Treatment of of Eating Disorders: A Gender Perspective. In Psychodynamic Treatment of Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia, ed. C. Johnson, Guilford Press 245-294

            Symington, N. (1983). The Analysts Act of Freedom as Agent of Therapeutic Change.              International Review of Psychoanalysis, 10: 283-291.

 

Related Psychoanalytic Writings

            Ghent, E. (1990). Masochism, Submission, Surrender- Masochisim as a Perviersion of Surrender.              Contemporary Psychoanalysis, 26:108-136

            Akhtar, S. (1996). “Someday…” And “If only…” Fantasies:  Pathological Optimism and Inordinate Nostalgia as Related Forms of Idealization.  Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association., 44: 723-753.

            Novick, J. & Novick, K.K. (1991). Some comments on Masochism and the Delusion of             Omnipotence from a Developmental Perspective. J. Amer. Psychoanal. Assn., 39:307-331.