Unit 8 Discussion – Eating Disorders

Today in the office you encounter a patient with an eating disorder such as anorexia or bulimia.

Discuss how you would approach the history and physical exam considering this information.

Identify specific subjective and objective data you would obtain during the visit and why those components are important and how they relate to the eating disorder.

Your response should include evidence of review of the course material, websites, and literature through proper citations using APA format.

Reply to at least TWO of your classmates.

MORE INFO 

Eating Disorders

Introduction

Eating disorders are serious mental illnesses that affect many young people, especially those who feel they can’t be healthy without strict control over their food. In this blog post we’ll explore the different types of eating disorders and how they’re treated in order to help you understand what’s happening so you can help others suffering with these issues.

Anorexia

Anorexia is a serious mental illness that can lead to death. It’s also one of the most common eating disorders, affecting about one in 20 people.

Anorexia is a complex disease that affects your thoughts, feelings and behaviors related to food and weight. The word “anorexia” means “without appetite,” but it doesn’t just mean not wanting food—it means your body doesn’t process or store enough calories for normal growth and functioning.

The symptoms of anorexia may include:

• Eating very little or very infrequently (in contrast to what’s considered healthy);

• Refusing food;

• Feeling disgusted by food;

• Distorting your body image (thinking you’re fat when you’re actually skinny);

• Feeling anxious about gaining weight

Bulimia

Bulimia is an eating disorder characterized by binge eating followed by purging. Bingeing can be through vomiting, laxatives, diuretics or enemas. A person with bulimia may feel guilty after bingeing and purge to avoid those feelings of guilt. Purging can cause serious health problems including damage to the esophagus and stomach lining; it may also cause dehydration (which can lead to kidney failure), electrolyte imbalance in the blood stream which makes you feel weak/confused/faint etc., heart palpitations due to electrolyte imbalances caused by vomiting or laxative use among other things such as irritability from lack of water intake during binges; infections such as pneumonia from contaminated feces left behind after purges which again would require hospitalization for treatment!

Binge Eating Disorder

Binge eating disorder (BED) is a mental health condition that can be diagnosed if you binge eat five or more times in a single day and have an inability to control your food intake. You may also experience binge eating as part of another psychiatric disorder, such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa.

In contrast with bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa, which involve purging after each meal and excessive exercise to compensate for caloric intake, BED involves binging on large amounts of food without purging afterward—or even feeling the need to purge at all. This difference makes it easier for people who have BED to hide their behavior from others because they never feel out of control during their binges.

Takeaway:

• If you think that you have an eating disorder, get help!

• If someone close to you has an eating disorder, encourage them to seek help!

Conclusion

Eating disorders are a serious mental health condition that can take a toll on your life. If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder, please contact one of our experts for help.