Anorexia nervousa. A case study.

Essay by dizzygalespyUniversity, Bachelor'sA-, October 2002

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Robyn , a sixteen-year-old female and the older of two daughters was forced into therapy by her mother and family doctor when she had reached an incredibly low weight of 73 lbs. On her first session, Robyn's appearance was that of a very sick young girl. Her complexion was jaundice and lacked any coloring, even her lips where pale. Her cheeks were sunken in which therefore exposed more of her eyeballs giving them a bulging-out appearance. Her attire provided ample evidence to the bony fragile frame underneath.

Robyn was very angry she lashed out at me on her first session. She was mad that she was forced to go see a shrink about "nothing". She was convinced she did not have a problem. But she did. Her chart that was sent to me indicated many observable physical abnormalities. She had developed a soft downy hair on her face, arms, and back.

A fine hair called Tarugs. Her complaints of coldness indicate that the insulating layer of fat, a layer specifically for keeping your body temperature consistently warm, had diminished. Her hair was dry and extremely thin and brittle. Her heartbeat was slow and irregular. Her blood pressure was very low. She claimed to have had her last menstrual cycle 10 months ago.

All of these symptoms lead me to believe that Robyn is very malnourished. Robyn's mother commented that Robyn's eating habits had changed drastically. She used to be involved in meal preparation. Now she's nowhere to be found at meal times. Robyn always claimed she had already eaten, wasn't feeling well, or would eat something later. When Robyn did decide to join her family for a bite to eat, she would never use butter or sauces. She would eat very little meat, if any. She would spread her food...