Nursing Care for Eating Disorders Quiz

Understanding Eating Disorders and Nursing Care

• Anorexia nervosa clients are often described as perfectionists with above-average intelligence, achievement-oriented, and eager to please, while bulimia clients are focused on pleasing others and avoiding conflict.
• Clients with bulimia may have a history of impulsive behavior such as substance abuse, shoplifting, anxiety, depression, and personality disorders.
• Clients with anorexia may appear slow, lethargic, and emaciated, while clients with bulimia may be underweight or overweight but generally close to expected body weight for age and size.
• Clients with eating disorders have labile moods that correspond to their eating behaviors, with avoiding "bad" foods giving them a sense of control, while binging or purging leads to anxiety and depression.
• Clients with anorexia often appear somber and serious, while clients with bulimia may initially seem pleasant and cheerful but express intense guilt and shame when describing binge eating and purging.
• Nursing diagnosis for bulimia includes ineffective coping, self-destructive behavior, suicidal thoughts, poor impulse control, and preoccupation with weight, food, or diets.
• The nursing care plan for bulimia includes goals for the client to be free from self-inflicted harm, identify non-food-related methods of dealing with stress, and verbalize feelings of guilt, anxiety, or excessive need for control.
• Immediate stabilization goals for bulimia clients include demonstrating more satisfying interpersonal relationships, eliminating shoplifting or stealing behaviors, and verbalizing understanding of the disease process and safe use of medications.
• Community goals for bulimia clients include verbalizing a more realistic body image, following through with discharge planning, and verbalizing increased self-esteem and self-confidence.
• Nursing interventions for bulimia clients include directly addressing thoughts of suicide or self-harm, setting limits with the client about eating habits, encouraging the client to eat with others, and using a diary to explore feelings and behaviors related to binge or purge urges.
• Setting limits with the client about eating habits can discourage binge behavior and help the client return to normal eating patterns.
• Encouraging the client to express feelings, use a diary, and eat with others can help decrease anxiety, guilt, and the urge to engage in purging behaviors.