Anorexia Nervosa

By: Candice Willingham RN

In today’s society, there seems to be a desperate need to be skinny or to look like the girls on television. Eating disorders have become quite common due to this need. Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that compels women to starve themselves in order to lose weight. These women may have an unrealistic body perception and a major fear of becoming fat. Nearly 4% of women now suffer from anorexia (Clark, 2009, p432). The disease typically develops near or during puberty. Anorexia is characterized by excessive dieting, a marked loss of body weight, purging, excessive exercise, and amenorrhea. According to Clark (2008), Anorexia results in mortality rates nearly 12 times higher than the annual death rate for all other causes among women 15-24 years of age.

Primary prevention should be aimed at teaching parents and young girls what the appropriate body size is for their age, promoting proper exercise, giving examples of a healthy diet, promoting adequate rest, explaining the harms of smoking and drinking, helping young girls to develop a strong self image and build self esteem.
Secondary prevention would be promoting annual physicals and pap smears. This will help health care providers notice sudden loss of weight and be able to intervene accordingly. The amount of weight loss determines how aggressive the treatment should be (Harvard, 2009). Women's health care providers are able to assess normal menstrual cycles and explain normal outcomes.
Tertiary prevention would come by helping the female and her family get their lives back together after battling an issue like this. Proper counseling is very important. The counselor can help the patient and the families develop a plan to prevent a relapse.

Clark, Mary Jo. (2008). Community Health Nursing: Advocacy for Population Health (5th Ed.). New Jersey: Pearson
Harvard Mental Health Letter. (2009). Treating Anorexia Nervosa: A Multidisciplinary approach is best, but relapses are common. Harvard Mental Health Letter. 26(2), 1-4.

Note: This blog post reflects the work of Candace Williamson RN with minor editing by Shirley Comer RN and was completed as a class assignment. The content of this blog is for informational purposes only. Before beginning or changing a treatment or lifestyle regime you should consult your primary health care provider.