Celiac Disease: Psychological, Developmental, and Family Counseling Issues
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
12-1-2013
Originally Published In
The Family Journal: Counseling and Therapy for Couples and Families
Volume Number
22
Issue Number
2
Page Numbers
226-230
Abstract
Celiac disease (CD) is a lifelong inherited autoimmune disease triggered by gluten, a component of many foods and household items, which affects 1% of the population. Despite numerous symptoms of CD including serious psychological, developmental, and behavioral issues, CD is not only often undiagnosed but is also underrepresented in medical literature and virtually ignored with family counseling literature. The impact of CD on individuals, couples, and families, however, requires a call to the counseling profession to develop skills to understand CD’s effects. As such, an overview of the medical aspects of CD, gender and cultural factors, prognosis, and individual, couple, and family dynamics as well as treatment considerations of CD are presented.
