7. Eating Disorders & Nursing Approach

Question 1

Unhealthy weight control behaviours such as:

Answer 1

• Skipping meals
• Fasting
• Vomiting
• Taking laxatives

Question 2

Anorexia nervosa is a clinical syndrome in which the person has a morbid fear of obesity. It is characterized by:

Answer 2

• Excessive weight loss
• Self-starvation
• Preoccupation with foods, progressing restrictions against whole categories of food.
• Anxiety about gaining weight or being “fat”
• Denial of hunger
• Consistent excuses to avoid mealtimes
• Excessive, rigid exercise regimen to “burn off” calories
• Withdrawal from usual friends

Question 3

Symptoms of Anorexia:

Answer 3

• Resistance to maintaining body weight at or above a minimally normal weight for age and height.
• Intense fear of weight gain or being “fat” even though underweight.
• Disturbance in the experience of body weight or shape on self-evaluation.
• Loss of menstrual periods in girls and women post-puberty.

Question 4

What do counselors look for in Anorexia?

Answer 4

• Rapid loss of weight
• Change in eating habits
• Withdrawal from friends or social gatherings
• Hair loss or dry skin
• Extreme concern about appearance or dieting

Question 5

Age Range in Anorexia:

Answer 5

• Most cases are in women of age range - early teens to mid-twenties.
• 40% of newly identified cases are in girls 15-19
• Significant increase in women aged 15-24
• Recently, there have been more cases of women and men in 30’s and 40’s suffering from an eating disorder.

Question 6

Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder (commonly called “the binge-and-purge syndrome”); it is characterized by:

Answer 6

• Extreme overeating
• Followed by self-induced vomiting
• Abuse of laxatives and diuretics.

Question 7

Eating in a discrete period:

Answer 7

• (e.g., within any 2-hour period), an amount of food that is larger than most people would eat during a similar time and under similar circumstances.

Question 8

A sense of lack of control over eating:

Answer 8

• During the episode (e.g., a feeling that one cannot stop eating or control what or how much one is eating).

Question 9

Recurrent inappropriate compensatory behaviours to prevent weight gain, such as:

Answer 9

Self-induced vomiting; misuse of laxatives, diuretics, enemas, or other medications; fasting; or excessive exercise.

Question 10

Self-evaluation is unduly influenced by:

Answer 10

Body shape and weight.

Question 11

The binge eating and inappropriate compensatory behaviours both occur, on average, at least:

Answer 11

Twice a week for 3 months.

Question 12

Symptoms of Bulimia nervosa:

Answer 12

• Eating large amounts of food uncontrollably (binging)
• Vomiting, using laxatives, or using other methods to eliminate food (purging)
• Excessive concern about body weight
• Depression or changes in mood
• Irregular menstrual periods
• Unusual dental problems, swollen cheeks or glands, heartburn, or bloating (swelling of the stomach)