Case Study April - Anorexia Nervosa - 3467 Words

Case Study: April - Anorexia Nervosa XXXX Pennsylvania State University Case Study: April - Anorexia Nervosa Presenting Concerns April was a 17-year-old high school freshman who presented with severe emaciation due to self-starvation and excessive exercise. Despite being severely underweight, April indicated an intense fear of gaining weight. She bragged about how much weight she had recently lost, though she indicated that her butt was still too fat. She also reported that she was constantly fatigued, had become socially withdrawn and depressed, and that her menstrual period had become highly irregular. The clinician noted a provisional diagnosis of 307.1 Anorexia Nervosa (American Psychiatric Association [DSM-IV-TR], 2000), as†¦show more content†¦Although these issues occurred a little more than a year prior to the current evaluation, the clinician believed it was prudent to note them as they clearly played a role in the development of her disorder. Additionally, the clinician noted ongoing problems related to the social environment, as well as educational problems. April lacked a strong social support network. She had several casual romantic partners, but few, if any, real friends and her family was largely uninvolved in her life. These social problems carried over into her school life as well, where she continued to experience tumultuous relationships with both her teachers and classmates. Her academic performance was poor and she had been cited for truancy on numerous occasions. Finally, the clinician assessed April’s overall level of functioning on Axis V via the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scale (Endicott, Spitzer, Fleiss, amp; Cohen, 1976). Although April did not have a history of attempts at suicide, nor did she indicate any suicidal ideations, she was in a severely emaciated state and thus, her health was at serious risk. Therefore, the clinician rated her symptom severity at 19, which indicated that she was in some danger of hurting herself or others (Endicott et al., 1976). She fared slightly better on her level of functioning. She often got into fights at school and displayed serious impairment in relationships with bothShow MoreRelatedSociety’s Influence on Teenagers: Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa1294 Words   |  6 PagesAmerican woman weighs 142 pounds. One study showed that 44% of middle school girls who frequently read articles about dieting were twice as likely to try fasting and dieting and were three times more likely to try self-induced vomiting than girls who didnt read the articles. (Recovery and Support Network, 2008) I believe it is these influences of society that are leading to more and more young girls being diagnosed with anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. 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