Psychiatric Diagnosis

High School Phillips Exeter Academy

(2001–2004) GPA: 3.9

Certifications

July 2021 Mental Health First Aid Training

February 2021 Certification in Thanatology: Death,

Dying, and Bereavement

October 2020 Certified Co-Occurring Disorders Specialist

Case 18: You Decide: The Case of Julia

Natoya Wayne

The University of Arizona Global Campus

PSY 645 : Psychopathology

Dr. Stefanie Gwaltney-Hausch

November 1, 2021

Most young girls in today's society are not satisfied with their body shape and size. This dissatisfaction, most of the time, leads to measures that are considered extreme in psychological jargon. The girls may limit their food intake to dangerous levels, exercise more than required, may take supplements to lose weight resulting in anorexia nervosa. For example, in one study, 63 percent of female participants said that weight was the most significant factor in deciding how they felt about themselves, surpassing family, school, and work (Nagi et al., 2016). Young women and girls are self-conscious about their bodies and physical beauty, and many believe that altering their appearance would help them gain self-esteem. Similarly, in the case of Julia, she is not satisfied with her bodyweight because she had a chubby body when she was in school. She even got bullied in school due to her weight which hindered her performance in-game as she wanted to be an athlete because of her parents. She started limiting her food intake and started exercising regularly to not gain weight. She managed to gain a scholarship in college based on the, but her fear of gaining weight remained. Though she had gained the ideal body weight and size, she still limited her food intake and regularly exercised, which led her to the condition of anorexia nervosa. He started to lag on her studies and sports, which made her parents and instructor worried about her health.

Even though the eating disorders that are highlighted in the DSM-IV foster the notion that they are the diseases needing separate treatments. It has recently been highlighted that the most striking characteristic of eating disorders is how much they share rather than what separates them. As seen in previous studies, they share several clinical characteristics, including the basic psychopathology of eating disorders: an exaggeration of the importance of weight. Furthermore, various studies show that most patients move between diagnoses over time. In psychologically, one of the most effective therapy is known to be cognitive behavioral therapy (Murphy et al., 2010). It has been known not only to help with the patient's behavior but also with the eating disorder enhancing the self-esteem and self-confidence (Galsworthy-Francis & Allan, 2014). Enhanced Cognitive Behavior Therapy along with the Specialist Supportive Clinical Management. The (SSCM) can be combined in treatment therapy to overcome the eating and behavioral disorder of people affected with anorexia nervosa (Byme et al., 2017). The therapies could provide an insight into the treatment and have a major advantage of improving weight and eating disorders. It is important to address motivation since many of these young girls especially do not consider undereating or being underweight to be an issue. This may be accomplished in a variety of ways and requires a strong therapeutic connection. Specific education can be given to the patient regarding the limitations of being overweight or underweight. This enables them to see that some of the difficulties they face are a direct result of their low weight rather than a reflection of their genuine nature. The patient is assisted in considering the benefits and drawbacks of change, as well as how things are likely to be in the future if they choose not to change. The patient also needs to be realized the drawbacks of limited food intake and being underweight, which will affect every aspect of their lifestyle. Therapists can help them in formulating their eating habits and their proper diet plan that should be followed strictly.

References

Nagl, M., Jacobi, C., Paul, M., Beesdo-Baum, K., Höfler, M., Lieb, R., & Wittchen, H. U. (2016). Prevalence, incidence, and natural course of anorexia and bulimia nervosa among adolescents and young adults. European child & adolescent psychiatry, 25(8), 903-918.

Galsworthy-Francis, L., & Allan, S. (2014). Cognitive behavioural therapy for anorexia nervosa: A systematic review. Clinical psychology review, 34(1), 54-72.

Byrne, S., Wade, T., Hay, P., Touyz, S., Fairburn, C. G., Treasure, J., ... & Crosby, R. D. (2017). A randomised controlled trial of three psychological treatments for anorexia nervosa. Psychological Medicine, 47(16), 2823-2833.

Murphy, R., Straebler, S., Cooper, Z., & Fairburn, C. G. (2010). Cognitive behavioral therapy for eating disorders. The psychiatric clinics of North America, 33(3), 611.