Bulimia - an Eating Disorder

According to the presented case scenario, Jamie’s medical diagnosis is more consistent with anorexia nervosa. “Anorexia nervosa is a life-threatening eating disorder characterized by the client’s restrictions if nutritional intakes necessary to maintain a minimally normal body weight, intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat, significantly disturbed perception of the shape or size of the body, and steadfast inability or refusal to acknowledge the seriousness of the problem or even that one exists” (Videbeck, 2017, p. 391). Jamie has lost significant amount of weight and she doesn’t seem to eat enough to maintain a daily nutritional requirement.

She has lost almost half of her weight and she still denies saying she doesn’t appear any thinner than she used to. She has become really weak and she presents herself with low blood pressure and complains of dizziness, and chronic constipation. Since she is not eating enough and denies that she gets full just by eating while she cooks her body doesn’t have enough nutrition requirements.

According to the article, Eating disorders, periods, and bone health, “Amenorrhea occurs most commonly when the body is in a state of “relative energy insufficiency,” in which calorie intake is inadequate relative to energy burned” (Muhlheim, 2018). Hence because of the energy insufficiency in her body, she is experiencing amenorrhea.

Bulimia nervosa, however, is an eating disorder in which a person eats too much because they have a lack of control during eating and they tend to use compensatory behaviors such as purging, fasting, and exercising too much to avoid gaining weight.

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The person experiencing bulimia would eat too much than a normal person would eat. The person would go to an extent of hiding foods and eating them. After eating they would feel remorse or shame about it and they would engage in recurrent vomiting, fasting, or exercising way too much to lose whatever they ate. “Recurrent vomiting destroys the tooth enamel, and incidence of dental caries and ragged or chipped teeth increases in these clients” (Videbeck, 2017, p. 391). A person with bulimia may be either of normal weight or underweight but they tend to believe that they are fat. Patients with bulimia might experience amenorrhea as well because of the insufficient nutrition requirement. Some other presenting signs and symptoms of bulimia include chronic dehydration, oral trauma, chronic gastric reflux, and constant weight fluctuations.

References:

1. About Bulimia: Symptoms, Signs, Causes & Articles For Treatment Help. (n.d.). Retrieved September 15, 2018, from https://www.eatingdisorderhope.com/information/bulimia
2. Muhlheim, L., & Gans, S. (n.d.). Eating Disorders Can Prevent You From Getting Your Period. Retrieved September 15, 2018, from https://www.verywellmind.com/eating-disorders-periods-and-bone-health-3994438
3. Videbeck, S. L., & Miller, C. J. (2017). Psychiatric-mental health nursing. Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer.