Belle St. Patrick is five feet seven inches tall and weighs ninety pounds. She makes every attempt to avoid eating very much or else she moves the food on her plate around, especially if people are watching her. She has always been very active in high school athletic sports and is captain of the girls' swim team. However, since Belle turned sixteen, she has become intensely fearful of gaining weight. She has begun a regimen of eating minimal amounts of food as well as exercising excessively to prevent herself from gaining weight. Belle often wears many layers of bulky clothing because her parents constantly complain about how thin she is. Which diagnosis would you consider the most appropriate?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Belle displays symptoms consistent with anorexia nervosa, restricting type, which is characterized by restrictive eating patterns and a fear of weight gain. She also displays a distorted perception of her body size, as evidenced by wearing bulky clothing despite being underweight. The other options, bulimia nervosa, involve binge eating and purging behaviors, which are not mentioned in the scenario.

Belle St Patrick Is Five Feet Seven Inches Tall and Weighs