Scenario
Scenario
Scenario
You are a nurse on an inpatient psychiatric unit. K.R., a 23-year-old woman, was admitted to the
psychiatric unit last night after assessment and treatment at a local hospital emergency department (ED)
for “blacking out at school.” She has been given a preliminary diagnosis of anorexia nervosa. As you
begin to assess her, you notice that she has very loose clothing, she is wrapped in a blanket, and her
extremities are very thin. She tells you, “I don't know why I'm here. They're making a big deal about
nothing.” She appears to be extremely thin and pale, with dry and brittle hair, which is very thin and patchy,
and she constantly complains about being cold. As you ask questions pertaining to weight and nutrition,
she becomes defensive and vague, but she does admit to losing “some” weight after an appendectomy 2
years ago. She tells you that she used to be fat, but after her surgery she did not feel like eating and
everybody started commenting on how good she was beginning to look, so she just quit eating for a
while. She informs you that she is eating lots now, even though everyone keeps “bugging me about my
weight and how much I eat.” She eventually admits to a weight loss of “about 40 pounds and I'm still fat.”
2. Identify eight clinical symptoms of anorexia nervosa. Place a star or asterisk next to those that K.R.
has.
5. Name behaviors that K.R. or any other patient with anorexia may engage in other than self-starvation.
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8. What clinical symptoms of anorexia nervosa should have the highest priority? Explain your answers.
12. You report K.R.'s statements to the physician. What do you expect to be ordered by the physician?
13. What medications would be indicated for K.R. to assist with resolution of both her anorexia nervosa
and major depression?