homework 1
1. Compare and Contrast the Symptoms of Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa.
Several similarities and differences exist between the symptoms of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.
Some of the similarities between the two eating disorders are increased obsession with food, weight and having a thin body image, tendency to use the bathroom immediately after eating, engagement in compulsive exercises, fear of gaining weight, reduced level of self-esteem as well as having symptoms of anxiety and depression (Derenne & Beresin, 2018). On the other hand, the first difference between the two disorders is on the relationship of those affected to food. Those with anorexia nervosa avoids eating as much as they can and frequently engage in fasting or restrictive diet while in bulimia nervosa, they engage in binge eating followed by purging or using other compensatory methods such as excessive exercises or excessive use of laxatives. The second difference is on the physical appearance of the victims. In anorexia, they are extremely underweight and bear an unhealthy figure while those with bulimia in many cases have an average or slightly higher weight (Derenne & Beresin, 2018). More importantly, Anorexia nervosa is a life-threatening eating disorder characterized by body weight less than below minimum expectations, an intense fear of being fat, a severely distorted body image, and refusal to eat or binge eating and purging (PhD Rn, 2017, pp. 411).
2. What role does the media/ society plays in the development of these disorders?
Over the years, mainstream media have been sending a strong message on what body sizes are desirable and appealing in the society. They often feature actors who are thin, well contoured or very muscular which undoubtedly sends a strong message on how an excellent body image looks like. Additionally, beauty products and diet companies consistently women and men with similar traits to those in the media and encourage everyone to use their products to achieve “a desirable body shape and size” like those in their adverts (Mashalpourfard, 2018). It is important to note that majority of the “models” endure numerous hours exercising, deprive themselves good nutrition, pay for surgical collection among other strategies to appear thin or muscular. Due to the widespread influence and popularity of these individuals used to market products and work in mainstream media, many people especially adolescents employ different strategies in order to look like them and end up becoming victims of these eating disorders. Additionally, it is common in the society to see people with certain body sizes being taunted and given negative nicknames and this have a great impact on the conduct of many young people especially teenage girls.
3. What are some important nursing considerations regarding the treatment of a client with eating disorders during impatient hospitalizations?
In the impatient treatment of a patient with an eating disorder, nurses are to create and foster a therapeutic alliance with the patient. To achieve this, nurses should adopt and demonstrate certain traits such as empathy, warmth, genuineness, being non-judgmental, acceptance as well as positive regard (Wolfe, Dunne & Kells, 2016). Additionally, nurses should ensure that their attitudes and beliefs do not affect the delivery of care to the patients and should act in a manner that promote the recovery of the patients. This is particularly important as their interactions with the patient might determine whether or not they will accept positive behavior change during and after hospitalization. They should find a better way of breaking down the myths regarding the eating disorders without offending the affected person.