ABSTRACT
Eating disorders, such as bulimia, are psychopathologies of multifactorial etiology that have one of the primary triggerings and sustaining factors for symptoms in family relationships. This study aimed to analyze the experiences of family relationships from the perspective of a young woman diagnosed with bulimia, her mother and her father, who were interviewed. This is a qualitative, descriptive and cross-sectional case study whose design encompasses the father-mother-daughter triad. Data were collected through semi-structured interview scripts and analyzed from the perspective of the psychoanalytic theoretical framework, based on the construction of thematic categories. The results showed that, as the daughter, her parents also showed weaknesses in their emotional development, culminating in difficulties in establishing the self-other differentiation in these family members. These difficulties arose instability in family experiences, with dependence bonds permeated by paradoxical feelings of invasion of intimacy and helplessness. The results expand the knowledge of the field, especially in terms of understanding family relationships in the context of bulimia, and provide support for the actions and interventions planning of professionals involved in caring for patients and their families.
Keywords:
Eating disorders; family relations; bulimia