Introduction: Eating disorder is still a taboo subject in today's society and is often misinterpreted. In the past, it was the individual treatment that was usually used, since the family members were often seen as the ones that caused the illness. Today it is just the opposite – it is the family that can contribute the most in terms of speed, quality and long-term positive effects of family based treatment. Purpose: The purpose is to define what eating disorder is, present positive effects of family based treatment and emphasize the importance of family members' education about eating disorders. Methods: A descriptive method was used in this diploma work, domestic and foreign literature was reviewed and an analysis of the content was made. The literature was searched in bibliographic data bases, such as CINAHL, PubMed and also Google Scholar. The chosen articles all refer to eating disorders in adolescents, the meaning of family inclusion in treatment and the importance of parental awareness of the illness. Results: The effects of family based treatment are seen after 6 month to one year post treatment, before that there are no crucial differences between individual and family based treatment. Family enables the adolescent to further maintain newly developed eating habits. Furthermore, stronger bonds among family members help to maintain a healthier emotional state that was a victim of eating disorder before. Discussion and conclusion: Eating disorder of an adolescent represents a huge stress for the family as a whole, but also a great challenge for each individual member of the family because all of a sudden there is only one family member put in the center of all the happening and the rest is put aside. Some families are not willing to sacrifice and therefore decline the family based treatment, which is not necessarily bad. Family as a whole needs to consciously subordinate their needs to the needs of the treatment and only after that a possibility of a success can be given.
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