The Need for Attention

After Sandy spends extensive time with Francesca, it becomes obvious that her need for positive attention is a major aspect of her illness. Francesca eventually comes to tell Sandy and her family that she feels unloved, though it takes time for her to realize those feelings herself. During a family session, she says that her mother has never loved her, "and never will". That need for love and attention has become so great in Francesca's mind that she comes to expect that she'll be the outcast in any situation. The spiraling needs and inability to recognize and express them eventually manifests in the desire to take control of her own eating and bodily habits.

As Francesca comes to know more about Myrna, it seems likely that Myrna's own need for attention is similarly at the root of her illness as well. Myrna says that she's...