Eating Disorders

An eating disorder is a trait with no specific sex orientation, race, age, or gender. This is common among young adults. There are two types of eating disorders that will be discussed below,: anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Further on, the consequences, causes, diagnoses, and treatment options will be described in the essay below.

Compare and contrast anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa

These two are types of eating disorders. Anorexia nervosa happens when someone starves to avoid being obese. People who have this disorder have a perception that they are overweight despite malnourishment. Some of the classical manifestations of this eating disorder include low blood pressure, renal failure, kidney damage, and cardiomyopathy. Bulimia nervosa, on the other hand, is an eating disorder where a person uses a diet to purge the calories taken during their stress or anger periods. The purging patients will induce vomiting or use diuretics and laxatives, while the non-purging will overwork their bodies during physical exercises. The clinical manifestations for persons with bulimia nervosa are damage to the functionality of the heart, damage to the GIT (gastrointestinal system), and damage to the esophagus; they also have hepatic failure and renal failure.

Who is more likely to suffer from anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa? Why?

They are common among teenagers and young adults. This is because most of them are undergoing body changes, which can be very difficult for them. Because of the dissatisfaction, they resolve to disorderly eating in an attempt to cut down their perceived weight and control their anxiety and fear of adding weight. So they either use medications such as laxatives or diuretics. They also induce vomiting to get rid of the perceived excessive calories in the body.

What are the causes contributing to anorexia nervosa?

The exact cause of this disease has not been found yet. However, research has shown that three factors play a role in causing anorexia nervosa. These three factors are psychological, environmental factors, and biological factors (Culbert et al., 2015). The psychological factors include personality traits such as obsessive-compulsive traits. People with this personality trait tend to strictly stick to their diets despite being hungry. They have a higher level of perfectionism, which makes them think they are not thin enough and need to cut down more weight. Biological factors include genetics. Those people who have genetics associated with perfectionism and sensitivity are more likely to have anorexia nervosa (Trace et al., 2013). Environmental factors include peer pressure from friends to have a slim and thin body.

What are the consequences of eating disorders?

Almost every system is affected when one has any of these two eating disorders. It causes vital changes, and one presents with cases of bradycardia, hypothermia, and hypotension (Smink et al., 2013). Their resting heart rates are at a range of 40-49 beats per minute. The skin also becomes dry; one develops edema at the peripherals and swelling of submandibular and parotid glands. Hair may also start thinning out. Elevated functionality of the liver, leading to liver failure and reduced levels of the white blood cells, decreasing one’s immunity and making them susceptible, may be noted. With low-calorie intake, insulin clearance is impaired because of low levels of glucose in the blood. Another consequence of disordered eating is the loss of the bulkiness of the muscle. For those with anorexia nervosa, they may end up with aplastic anemia and pancytopenia. Amenorrhea is also a noticeable consequence in patients with bulimia nervosa.

How can one diagnose eating disorders?

SCOFF questionnaire is used for diagnosis (Hill et al., 2010). S stands for Sick and seeks to know if one makes oneself sick before being full. C stands for control over how much one eats. O stands for a loss of one stone in three months. F stands for fat, which helps to determine if one believes to be fat, and the last F stands for Food, which explores if food dominates the life of an individual. ESP (Eating Disorder Screen for Primary Care) questionnaire may be used for screening, too (Staten, 2013). It has 5 questions. To rule out the differential diagnoses of these eating disorders, such as depression, anemia, and pregnancies, some laboratory studies are run. These include a comprehensive blood chemistry blood panel to detect any complications as a result of these eating disorders. It helps to check hypocalcemia, hyponatremia, hypomagnesium, and hypophosphatemia. A complete blood count is checked for exclusion of hematologic abnormalities, urinalysis for urine gravity to determine hydration state, and amylase test, which is positive for those with significant vomiting with the primary problem of hypersecretion of salivary glands.

What are the treatment and support options for a person who has eating disorders?

There are many treatment approaches and support that can be given to these patients depending on which works best for either of them. Psychological therapy is provided to these people. These include family therapies, cognitive behavioral therapy, individual therapy, family-based therapy, and group therapy (Rosen, 2010). So, as a nurse, the goal is to refer them to psychiatrists and encourage these patients to attend their therapy classes. Apart from therapy, drugs can be administered. For example, estrogen replacement drugs such as contraceptive pills, calcium, and vitamin supplements can be given.

References

Culbert, K. M., Racine, S. E., & Klump, K. L. (2015). Research Review: What we have learned about the causes of eating disorders–a synthesis of sociocultural, psychological, and biological research. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 56(11), 1141-1164. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.12441

Hill, L. S., Reid, F., Morgan, J. F., & Lacey, J. H. (2010). SCOFF, the development of an eating disorder screening questionnaire. International journal of eating disorders, 43(4), 344-351. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.20679

Rosen, D. S. (2010). Identification and management of eating disorders in children and adolescents. Pediatrics, 126(6), 1240-1253. https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/126/6/1240.short

Smink, F. R., van Hoeken, D., & Hoek, H. W. (2013). Epidemiology, course, and outcome of eating disorders. Current opinion in psychiatry, 26(6), 543-548. https://journals.lww.com/co-psychiatry/Abstract/2013/11000/Epidemiology,_course,_and_outcome_of_eating.5.aspx

Staten, R. A. (2013). Eating disorder in a young active-duty male. Military medicine, 178(7), e884-e889. https://doi.org/10.7205/MILMED-D-12-00543

Trace, S. E., Baker, J. H., Peñas-Lledó, E., & Bulik, C. M. (2013). The genetics of eating disorders. Annual review of clinical psychology, 9, 589-620. https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-050212-185546

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Instructions:

Written in APA format using proper spelling/grammar, research the topic of eating disorders and address the following:
Compare and contrast anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.

Eating Disorders

Who is more likely to suffer from anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa? Why?

What are the causes contributing to anorexia nervosa?

What are the consequences of eating disorders?

How can one diagnose eating disorders?

What are the treatment and support options for a person who has eating disorders?

Be sure to include APA citations for any resources you used as references.