A nurse observes a young patient who accepts her food tray and appears to eat it enthusiastically, but the patient goes into the bathroom immediately after eating.The nurse suspects that the patient is causing herself to vomit.What do these assessments suggest?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The patient's behavior of accepting the food tray and appearing to eat it enthusiastically, followed immediately by going to the bathroom, suggests the possibility of bulimia, a form of disordered eating characterized by binge-eating followed by purging behaviors such as self-induced vomiting. Anorexia nervosa is also a type of eating disorder, but it is marked by restriction of food intake rather than bingeing and purging. Hyperemesis refers to excessive vomiting, but it would not be suggested by the patient's behavior of appearing to eat enthusiastically. Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder that affects blood sugar regulation and would not be suggested by the patient's behavior of accepting the food tray and appearing to eat it enthusiastically.

A Nurse Observes a Young Patient Who Accepts Her Food