The importance of considering whether a particular characteristic is inherited or acquired is that it will determine the appropriate treatment. For a genetically inherited condition one has no choice but to accept it and, if possible, learn to avoid its potential influence on a day-to-day basis. For example, until the days of corneal surgery, there was nothing one could do about short sight other than wear spectacles or contact lenses on a day-to-day basis. Neither of these procedures changed the short sight but they enabled the individual to function more or less normally. There were still some things that he or she could not do - such as see under water or fly a fighter aircraft - but otherwise there were very few limitations on what he or she could do alongside other people. Equally there was nothing magnificent or virtuous in wearing spectacles or contact lenses. Nor did spectacles or contact lenses provide an unfair advantage over other people or mean that books could be read or cars driven by magic: the same lessons had to be learned and the same work had to be done as for anyone else. This is a good parallel to the Twelve Step programme treatment for neurotransmission disease and its various addictive outlets. The underlying condition - the neurotransmission disease - is still there but specific addictive outlets can be countered on a day-to-day basis through abstinence and through working the Twelve Step programme. This simply puts the sufferer level with other people, but lessons have to be learned and work done just the same: there is no magical formula that provides something for nothing simply because one works a Twelve Step programme.

Where difficulties are acquired, rather than genetically inherited, there is a great deal that can be done that is curative. Analytical psychotherapeutic approaches and cognitive behavioural therapy will help with understanding the origin of various disorders of interpretation and hence of behaviour. Choice Theory, Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy, Gestalt Therapy, Transactional Analysis, Rogerian Person-Centred Counselling and Neurolinguistic Programming can all help towards changing insight and hence behaviour. However, these are all "left brain", intellectual functions and they may be ineffective in trying to treat "right brain" emotional trauma that has resulted in post-traumatic stress disorder. These will require either psychodrama or EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) in order that effects of emotional trauma can become accessible to rational intervention.

Sufferers from eating disorders who have had serious abuse or abandonment in childhood may well have "right brain" imprints of post-traumatic stress disorder. These will be a contributory cause of continuing problems with eating disorders and other addictive or compulsive tendencies even though they were not the antecedent, genetic, cause.

The emotional effects may be deep-seated and persistent despite all manner of "talking" therapy. However, they can be resolved through psychodrama or EMDR and the long-term traumatic effects can be totally resolved. The genetically inherited addictive tendency will none the less remain.