Comportement alimentaire de l'adolescent obèse : doit-on prendre en charge les parents ?

Adolescence is a state where the body is deeply changing: building of a new body, of a sexual identity, of a new body image with new alimentary behaviour. At the same time, new states of separation-individualisation from parents are occurring in order to gain autonomy and identification to pairs. Obesity is disturbing these narcissistic states and inducing psychic pain. Parents of an obese adolescent are often destabilised and guilty even more if they are challenged by their own problems. However, adolescents need to maintain close relationships with parents and family and cannot do anything with them. Parents are warranting therapeutic alliance and success. They must be listened to and assisted, reassured in their parental functions and accompanied in changing life style of the whole family.