Family therapy is being applied on inhalant substance using adolescent receiving treatment at ÇEMATEM department of Bakırköy Mental Health Hospital – Istanbul since 2003 in this study, we present a case of family therapy applied to adolescents receiving treatment in a family environment. Y.U. is a 16 years old male adolescent using inhalant substance for 4-5 years. He doesn’t go to school, is jobless and on occasional runaway. He had received pharmacotherapy and individual therapy result in a bad solution. In addition to theses, we have applied systemic family therapy for 18 seance between March 2003 and June 2003. He received therapy once a week. Even though the full family participation was not received, either the mother or the father participated in all seances. The family has 5 members. The mother being a house wife, the father is a furniture manufacturer. He had days with no work and was taking alcohol frequently. Y.U. had a 3 years old brother. The sister, never participated the therapy seances, is married living in a different district.

The parents, especially the mother, were determined the participated the seances.

Y.U., in the early seances, could not control his anger. He was shouting and threatening. He would leave therapy

room yelling and threatening. However, he state in the room until the end of the therapy in the later seances and

could express his feelings in proper manners. He would be sitting closer to the family members; symbolically showing acceptance of his family. Even though 6 months had passed over the therapy,

Y.U. is living with his family and is not using substance. He can control his feelings and has a job.

Family therapy is not a usual treatment method applied to inhalant substance using adolescent. The case reported here gives the hope that family therapy can be helpful even in such cases. The systemic family therapy can have success in cases where the inhalant substance using adolescent has serious problems in family relationships.

Introduction

Change occurring in our country, social change, urbanization, industrialization, increase in the rate of internal migration, squatters and the fragmentation of the parent institution of the family attitudes and behavior has led to the emergence of problems.

Homeless children who is living on the streets or working in the field of expert personnel in therapeutic relationship with their families, as long as the children join their parents in teaching and social life according to the analysis of problems is obvious.

Family therapy is family group’s treatment. Functioning form of treatment of families, family members communicate with each other and examine relationships. Family treatment approaches vary according to the forms and they are based points of what happened. (1)

Method

Bakirkoy Ruh ve Sinir Hastaliklari (Mental and nerve disorders) Hospital, treated for a diagnosis of inhalant abuse Y.U CEMATEM service has established his family, including a session total of 13 sessions a week between systemic family therapy models has been applied.

Family therapy was carried out as outpatient treatment. Y.U (Adolescent); 16 years old, male, have terminated the life of seventh grade education, unemployed, have substance abuse for nearly three years.

He has been hospitalized six times at CEMATEM service. Mother is 38 years old, housewife. Father is 43 years old working as a furnisher, from time to time draws unemployed. He had been treated previously for alcohol dependence consecutive inpatient clinic. Currently, the use of alcohol continues. Sister, 22-year-old married, the family lives in a different neighborhood. She did not attend the sessions. Brother was 3 years old.

Discussion

Family therapy is along with therapist, mother, father and children in the family and other people who attended psychotherapy group approach. Avoid the attitudes and behaviors of a family member or a family patterns, relationships, living situations to disrupt the measures arrived at, are made with the purpose of counseling and therapy. (2)

Family therapy, group therapy and child therapy in terms of scope and quality as well as other branches of modern psychotherapy, according to a method different from them. Ackerman (1958), “family therapy” which, given errors include the spouses of each of the family as a natural group, with family members, relationships and responsibilities of a “system” to establish qualifications, such as “individual therapy and individuals brought together by chance” group therapy ” is stated to be different and more advantageous approach. (3)

Family therapy practice in our country is developing family in the treatment process, especially the participation of adolescents in substance abuse treatment programs are growing. Y.U. ‘The process of family therapy, the patient and the conflicts in family relationships, communication patterns, parents’ therapists approaches are evaluated together. Y.U proper attitude of the parents, the determination of behavior, with increasing insight and their awareness’s ensure the participation of parents as long as treatment is being activated power of family therapy.

Thus, the role of family therapy acceptance to help with certainty, the relationships within the family re-configuring the resources of the parents act solution is passed, with the support of the family of adolescent social life is consumed in producing the individual as a value adjustment and adaptation to life in the development of systemic family therapy, family therapy purposed Y.U method was applied by therapists. Institute of Family Studies was established in 1967 in Milan. From 1972 and 1974 years have developed their views on the paradox and counter-paradox. Rejected the concept of the hierarchy from 75ten, families and individuals to each other in a cyclic structure transmits examined how different levels of meaning. Instead of building on the patterns and information, they stopped. This group became known as the systemic or the Milan group. (4)

Systemic approaches (Bloch, 1989), the family is assumed to be a leader in parent-child system. Between sub-systems, without any discrimination or to become friendly at once all family members to each other, vice versa, each individual family to create their own sub-system is completely broken down to a pathological family emerges. Family therapy, working in harmony with each other, independent sub-systems for development in it, and a family of structural change, changes in targets. This some changes making communication among individuals and sub-groups are provided. (5)

Family therapy, case report, Y.U. ‘nude mother and father’s cooperation during the treatment process, supported by the coalition to take part in the process involved in active father, mother participated in cooperation with therapies, is supported by healthy role models, family therapy, in the process of evaluating the re-structured internal communication, change in attitude and behavior of the parents came Y.U. The treatment program has been enabled. Treatment with the participation of the family as a value-producing Y.U taking part in social life has moved away from substance use.

Fatih Kılıçarslan/ Social Worker

Resources

1. Kerimoglu, Efser. Family Therapies, Department of Child Psychiatry, Ankara University Publications: Ankara, 1996.
2. Ozguven, Ibrahim Ethem. Marriage and Family terapisi.PDREM Publications, Ankara, 2000
3. Ackerman, N.W. “Expanding Theory and Practice of family Therapy” family Ascociation Service of America, New York, 1966.
4. Kerimoglu, E. Family Therapies. Ankara, 1986
5. Bloch, S., “Introduction to Psychotherapy, ” Translated, Engin Eker, broadcast Association of Surgery, Istanbul, 1989.