The Japanese Association of School Health

Case Report

ISSN ONLINE : 1880-2400

[School Health Vol.3, 1-6, 2007]

Role-play Therapy as Treatment for Anorexia Nervosa using the Script from the Hayao Miyazaki Animated Movie Kiki's Delivery Service (Majo no Takkyuubin)

Miki Matsumoto* , Kanako Yamauchi**, Misa Tanaka*** and Tadahiro Kato***

  • *Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Ehime University
  • 1-5-22 Mochida-cho, Matsuyama, Ehime 790-0855 Japan
  • mikim@nss.or.jp
  • **Ehime Prefectural Central Hospital
  • 83 Kasuga-cho, Matsuyama, Ehime 790-0024 Japan
  • ***Center for Education and Educational Research, Ehime University
  • 1-5-22 Mochida-cho, Matsuyama, Ehime 790-0855 Japan

[Received January 11, 2007 ; Accepted May 25, 2007]

Keywords:
anorexia nervosa, role-play therapy, animated movie, "Kiki’s Delivery Service", identity

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Abstracts

A 14-years-old schoolgirl having suffered from anorexia nervosa for a year was referred to our counseling room by her family doctor. She was admitted to the hospital suffering from weakness, fatigue, and amenorrhea as a result of marked weight loss over a six-month period. She was a high achiever who pushed herself to excel in every facet of school life, falling short only in her social relationships. She put pressure on herself to excel in every academic subject and was worn out, leaving little time for friends, and ultimately leading to social isolation. The constant pressure led to anorexia. Using role-plays based on KiKi's Delivery Service (KDS) scripts (Hayao Miyazaki animated movie, "Majo no takkyuubin"), we helped her discover her personal style and develop her interpersonal social skills. Our role-play model proved to be a successful treatment for anorexia nervosa and we recommend these methods for patients with anorexia nervosa needing a more developed sense of identity.

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