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Earliest recollections in anorexia and bulimia

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Abstract

Earliest Recollections (ER) are very useful as they reveal information about a person’s main aims and lifestyle, according to the Individual Psychology assumption of the inner coherence of the personality. This paper looks at the utility of analyzing ER in psychopathological research, diagnosis and therapy. Its purpose is to compare particular ER in a group of anorectic outpatients, a group of bulimic outpatients and in a control group. The results provide further evidence that ER are a useful instrument to identify various aspects o family dynamics, particular pathological nuclei which are often of the borderline type. They can also help to overcome the initial hostility towards any therapy that is often present in anorectic and assist the therapist early on in drawing a mental picture of the premisses for understanding the lifestyle of the subject both as a child, and now as a patient.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Psychiatric Clinic, University of Torino, C.so Bramante 88, 10126, Torino, Italy

    Secondo Fassino, G. Abbate Daga, L. Garzaro, G. G. Rovera, D. Munno & L. Fico

  2. Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Department, Azienda Ospedaliera San Giovanni Battista di Torino, C.so Bramante 88, 10126, Torino, Italy

    G. Malfi & G. Rovera

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  1. Secondo Fassino
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  2. G. Abbate Daga
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  3. L. Garzaro
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  4. G. G. Rovera
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  5. D. Munno
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  6. L. Fico
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  7. G. Malfi
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  8. G. Rovera
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Fassino, S., Abbate Daga, G., Garzaro, L. et al. Earliest recollections in anorexia and bulimia. Eat Weight Disord 3, 53–63 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03339989

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