abnormal paper.edited.docx - 1 Running Header: Eating...

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Running Header: Eating Disorders
Title
First & Last Name
Professor
Date

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Running Header: Eating Disorders
Family Referral Source Statement and Need for Treatment
John and Bethany Miller, Jessica Miller’s parents, are concerned about the health of their
daughter due to her being underweight. Their expectations for treatment are that Jessica will
gain weight, start eating more, and stop being so harsh on herself. Jessica states she has no
reason for treatment, and she is fine.
Presenting Problems and Situation
Jessica Miller is a 22-year-old woman who started her first semester of medical school at
Emory University in August 2021. Mr. and Mrs. Miller are worried Jessica is not eating and
during a recent visit to Jessica’s apartment noticed she had little food in the house. Jessica
explains she was a gymnast in both high school and college but had to stop due to a knee injury
that occurred when she was 19. Jessica states that she misses being able to do her routines but
continues to follow medical advice. Jessica reports she is 63 inches tall and weighs 93 pounds.
Disorder Criteria
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fifth Edition , commonly
referred to as the DSM-5, defines anorexia nervosa as a disorder marked by the pursuit of
extreme thinness and by an extreme loss of weight (APA, 2013). According to the DSM-5,
anorexia nervosa is characterized by the three following criteria:
 The restriction of necessary nutrients resulting in body weight 20% less than the average
person with the same characteristics.
 Fear of gaining weight to the point the individual seeks out any means necessary to
prevent weight gain
 The individual has a distorted self-perception of their bodies or signs of body dysmorphia

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Running Header: Eating Disorders
Subtypes
Anorexia nervosa has two primary subtypes: restricting and binge-eating/purging types.
The restricting subtype involves the drastic restriction of the daily recommended nutrition
[ CITATION Com19 \l 1033 ]. Restricting type involves cutting out all “fear foods” that could
include but are not limited to, carbohydrates, sugars, and fattening foods until it eventually cuts
out nearly all foods. Individuals with the restricting type will often have little to no variability in
their diets (Comer & Comer, 2019). Binge-eating/purging subtype can be just purging, or it can
cycle between binge-eating and purging. Purging is a compensatory behavior that occurs when
the individual consumes food and forces themselves to throw up, exercises excessively, fasts,
misuses laxatives, etc.