Eating Disorders: Nursing Care

Flashcards covering key concepts, characteristics, nursing interventions, and treatment approaches for anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder, based on lecture notes.

Anorexia Nervosa (Emotional Expression)

Clients commonly avoid conflict and have difficulty expressing negative emotions like anger; perfectionism and drive for thinness are key characteristics.

Body Dissatisfaction (Eating Disorders)

A key characteristic of anorexia nervosa, strongly related to low self-esteem, ineffectiveness, and inadequacy, putting individuals at risk for an eating disorder.

SSRI (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor) for Bulimia Nervosa

Medication for bulimia nervosa; important to monitor for decreased appetite and weight loss, especially during the first few weeks of administration.

Comorbidity with Anorexia Nervosa

Depression is a common comorbid condition, increasing the risk of suicide; paranoia, insomnia, and aggression are less likely.

Goal Setting (Anorexia Nervosa Discharge)

Key educational objective for clients with anorexia nervosa is learning to set realistic and attainable goals, as they tend to be perfectionist and set unrealistic ones for themselves.

Impulsivity (Bulimia Nervosa)

A common characteristic of clients with bulimia nervosa, often linked to situations that produce feelings of being overwhelmed and powerless, and precipitating binge eating.

Self-Monitoring (Bulimia Nervosa Therapy)

A behavioral therapy technique for bulimia nervosa using a diary to record binges, purges, precipitating emotions, and environmental cues to identify and alter dysfunctional responses.

Eating Disorder Prevention (Media)

Educational strategy for preventing eating disorders that involves counteracting the influence of media, as both boys and girls are at risk.

Therapeutic Communication (Anorexia Nervosa)

A nonjudgmental, accepting approach is best, providing feedback and conveying interest in feelings, while avoiding power struggles.

Nursing Diagnosis for Weight Gain (Anorexia Nervosa)

Imbalanced nutrition: less than body requirements; interventions include a refeeding program and a behavioral plan for increasing weight.

Family Dynamics (Bulimia Nervosa)

Families are often chaotic with few rules and unclear boundaries, sometimes featuring an overly close or enmeshed relationship between daughter and mother, blurring boundaries and impeding individuation.

Optimal Therapy (Bulimia Nervosa)

The combination of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and pharmacologic interventions is most effective for producing an initial decrease in symptoms.

Differentiating Characteristic (Bulimia Nervosa)

Boundary problems are specific to bulimia nervosa, while low self-esteem, perfectionism, and obsessiveness are common to both bulimia and anorexia nervosa.

Priority Assessment (Anorexia Nervosa)

Assessing for self-harm and suicide risk is the priority due to high comorbidity with suicide and cardiopulmonary arrest as leading causes of death for individuals with anorexia nervosa.

Hospitalization Indicators (Anorexia Nervosa)

Includes heart rate near 40 beats/min, blood pressure less than 80/50 mm Hg, decreased serum potassium or magnesium concentrations, and severe depression with risk for suicide.

Binge Eating Disorder (BED) Characteristics

Clients typically are or were obese, refrain from purging or other compensatory behaviors (like overexercising), have less dietary restraint, and a higher weight than those with bulimia nervosa.

Common Characteristics (Anorexia & Bulimia Nervosa)

Shared characteristics include body dissatisfaction, powerlessness (lack of control), obsessiveness, and cognitive distortions.

Eating Disorder Hospitalization Criteria

Includes acute weight loss (<85% below ideal), temperature less than 36.1°C, heart rate near 40 beats/minute, hypokalemia, hypophosphatemia, hypomagnesemia, poor motivation to recover, blood pressure less than 80/50 mm Hg, risk for suicide, severe depression, failure to comply with treatment, and inadequate response to treatment at another level of care.

Supporting a Friend (Eating Disorder)

Strategies include expressing concern and offering assistance, suggesting professional help, reaching out to an adult if help is refused, avoiding discussions about food/weight, talking about other topics, and not forcing the person to eat.