It’s Easier to Blame Parents Than to Treat the Patient

The letter by a doctor (May 9) responding to Sally Satel’s review of “Good Girls” by Hadley Freeman (Bookshelf, May 1) demonstrates exactly what is most wrong with most of the psychiatrists who treat anorexia. His comment that professionals should assume there has been sexual abuse of an anorexic patient “until proven otherwise” reflects the attitude that families face when bringing their loved ones in for treatment.

After 20 years of seeking treatment for a family member with severe anorexia, I find the parents are frequently scorned as the source of the problem while the psychiatrists probe for the cause, which they never find because it didn’t happen. Meanwhile, the patient gets worse while the true cause is missed. Ms. Freeman is right on.