Anxiety Disorders and Stress Q 10
Nurse Wayne is planning a psychoeducational discussion for a group of adolescent clients with anorexia nervosa. Which of the following topics would Nurse Wayne select to enhance understanding about central issues in this disorder?
A. Anger management
B. Parental expectations
C. Peer pressure and substance abuse
D. Self-control and self-esteem
Correct Answer: D. Self-control and self-esteem
Self-control and self-esteem are central issues for clients with eating disorders. Such clients feel a loss of self-control over their life and experience diminished self-esteem and severe doubts about their self-worth. The individual tries to gain a sense of self-control through food and exercise since this is the one and only aspect of their life they are able to control. Choosing to engage in binging, extreme dieting, purging and other obsessive behaviors relating to body image and weight loss are attempts to “self-treat” their lack of control in other aspects of their life where they have no control.
Option A: The American Psychological Association (APA) has shown that past abuse or trauma, low-self esteem, bullying, poor parental relationships, borderline personality disorder, substance abuse, non-suicidal self-injury disorder (NSSI), a perfectionistic personality, difficulty communicating negative emotions, difficulty resolving conflict, and genetics are known underlying triggers that contribute to the development of an eating disorder.
Option B: Maternal psychopathology such as negative expressed emotion, the thrive for perfectionism, and maternal encouragement of weight loss can lead to the development of eating disorders in children and teenagers. The obsessions of binging and purging are brought on by low-self esteem, fear, and anxiety and therefore an individual will binge, purge or exercise excessively to only be relieved of these unhealthy emotions and feelings temporarily until feelings of self-blame and guilt follow.
Option C: The first-line treatment for all eating disorders is psychotherapy, which encompasses a broad range of therapy approaches such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) which aim to recognize and reduce the harmful thoughts and emotions associated with the eating disorder and works to develop productive coping mechanisms and tools to help the individual engage in positive thoughts, emotions, and behaviors in order to overcome their past traumas and low-self esteem.