Anorexia Nervosa: Abnormally Low Body Weight and Fear of Gaining Weight

“”Anorexia Nervosa is an eating disorder that has abnormally low body weight and fear of gaining weight. People with anorexia care about what others think of them. Society plays a key role to people who have anorexia because; they put very thin people on the cover of magazines and advertisement. This causes individuals with anorexia to feel, un-pretty, rejected, and fat. This is all based on what the media puts out to the world. (works cited: 1). “”People with anorexia tend to show tend to show compulsive behaviors, may have may become obsessed with food, and often show behaviors consistent with other addictions in their efforts to overly control their food intake and weight.

(works cited: # 2).

Some physical symptoms of anorexia nervosa include the following; thin appearance, fatigue, insomnia, dizziness or fainting, bluish discoloration of the fingers, hair falling out or thinning, low blood pressure, dehydration, etc. Emotional and Behavioral symptoms include the following; frequently skipping meals or refusing to eat, have eating schedules like spitting food out after chewing, lying about how much they’ve eaten, social withdrawal, binging foods, etc. (works cited: #1).

Julie will need to get a referral from her primary care provider to see a psychologist. She will also need to see a psychiatrist to get her mind in a healthy state. Julie will also need to see a nutritionist to get an evaluation and a healthy meal plan. The psychiatrist can then determine how to best treat Julie. It is recommended that Julie seeks therapy as well as her family. Because Julie has severe anorexia nervosa, she will need to be admitted into a hospital so that she can be monitored daily. Because of Julie’s condition, she will have to eat small amounts of foods that have high energy density. 1200 calories would be the starting point for Julie. Julie will have to get fed through a feeding tube because of her weight. As Julie becomes more comfortable with eating, she should gradually increase energy intake. (Works Cited: 1,2,3,4,5).

Outpatients should be weighed weekly and inpatients daily. Weight gain of 1 to 3 pounds is safe for an anorexia nervosa patient. Healthy weight gain is the main focus of treatment for anorexia patients.. Treatment can take up to a few months to seven or several years. If Julie participates and following the orders given to her by her care team, she should be able to recover almost fully in one year. “”Because of the plethora list of complications anorexia causes, one may need frequent monitoring of vital signs, hydration level, and electrolytes, as well as related physical conditions. Severe cases of anorexia require hospitalization and a feeding tube. (works cited #4). Julie and her family must monitor Julie’s vital signs, electrolytes, and hydration level. Julie and her family must keep up with her diet plan, and other treatments. (works cited #5).

Anorexia has the highest mortality rate of 6% among psychiatric conditions. Suicide is one of the causes of death in people with anorexia. Most patients who die with anorexia nervosa, die from medical complications such as an imbalance of electrolytes, and cardiac arrest. Early diagnosis of anorexia can improve the prognosis. It is estimated that 20% of people with anorexia remain chronically ill from the condition. Many people will require ongoing treatment for anorexia for several months up to a lifetime. The longer the disease goes on, the longer the treatment. (works cited #5).

Works Cited

1.) The Clinic, M. (2018, February 20). Anorexia nervosa. Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/anorexia-nervosa/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20353597.

2.) Anorexia Nervosa Signs, Symptoms, Tips & Treatment. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.medicinenet.com/anorexia_nervosa/article.htm.

3.) Whitney, E. (2017). Chapter 9 Weight Management: Overweight, Obesity, & Underweight. In Understanding Nutrition (15th ed., pp. 253-256). United States, LA: Cengage.

4.) Epocrates, E. (2018, June 7). Anorexia Nervosa: Practice Essentials, Background, Pathophysiology. Retrieved from https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/912187-overview

5.) Clinic, M. (2018, February 20). Anorexia nervosa. Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/anorexia-nervosa/symptoms-causes/syc-20353591.

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