RECOVERY FROM ANOREXIA-NERVOSA - A SOCIOLOGICAL-PERSPECTIVE

Objective: The focus of this article is on the process of recovery fro m anorexia nervosa, rather than on its etiology. It seeks for sociolog ical, instead of clinical, reasons for recovery. Method: The article b egins with a discussion of clinical outcome studies. It then reports o n a phenomenological study of 32 former sufferers contacted through a newspaper article which included the author's own recovery story. Part icipants' narratives were analyzed to elucidate the social sources of recovery. Results: The analysis refers to the coherence and mythologic al structure of the narratives and to their rituals of recovery and it s ''spiritual'' nature, as understood by participants. Discussion: Ano rexia and recovery are conceptualized as two phases in an ascetic rite of passage which involves a confrontation with death and an eventual return to fuller community life. Suggestions are offered concerning th e ways this insight can be translated into clinical practice. (C) 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.