An adolescent’s parents reports their child tends to eat excessive amounts of food then disappears to the bathroom for an extended period immediately following the meal. The patient also frequently discusses ways to lose weight. The nurse suspects which condition?

Bulimia nervosa. The individual who eats excessive amounts of food followed by compensatory mechanisms (such as purging – either through vomiting or laxative use) to divest the body of the calories may have bulimia nervosa. Anorexia nervosa is characterized by extreme dieting and limiting calorie intake. Laxative abuse may accompany bulimia nervosa but is not the primary concern for this patient. Inflammatory bowel disease may result in the patient spending large amounts of time in the bathroom, but the patient has other symptoms that point to bulimia nervosa.

An adolescent’s parents reports their child tends to eat ex...

Category: Psychosocial Integrity
Difficulty: 3

Topics: Communication & Documentation Mental Health Disorders

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