Joanna, a 15-year-old Caucasian female, presents to the office for normal her annual health checkup and is accompanied by her mother. She weighs 90 pounds at the height of 5 foot 3 inches. Her BMI is 15.9, which is underweight for a female her age and height. She is currently in high school but takes at least two of her meals at home. She participates in swimming as her extracurricular activity, although she does not engage in competitive events. Her mother intimates that she prepares the family meals, but the children, including Joanna, have their lunch at school. Breakfast is mostly cereal and milk, fruits like apples, eggs, smoothies, waffles, and pancakes. However, the patient reports that she eats only half an apple for breakfast. She acknowledges that, at times, she does not finish the half apple because she feels too full. School lunch is always a balanced meal consisting of protein, carbohydrates, vegetables, fruit, and a drink (juice or yoghurt). Joanna admits to taking a bite of everything on her plate but does not finish. At home, she avoids taking snacks before dinner, and her mother admits that Joanna just consumes small biting of her supper, mostly vegetables.
An in-depth analysis of Joanna’s height, weight, BMI, and daily eating behaviors suggests that she is suffering from anorexia nervosa, an eating disorder common among female teenagers. According to Santrock (2019), the disorder is characterized by an incessant desire to be thin, hence the unhealthy eating behaviors that include starving. Joanna appears fixated on the need to maintain a thin body frame, and she can only do that by avoiding food. Other characteristics of the potentially life-threatening condition include an obsessive fear of gaining weight and negative perceptions of body image (Peterson & Fuller, 2019). Joanna exhibits these characteristics, which indicate that she could be suffering from anorexia nervosa.
References
Peterson, K., & Fuller, R. (2019). Anorexia nervosa in adolescents: An overview. Nursing2021, 49(10), 24-30.
Santrock, J. W. (2019). Life-span development. McGraw Hill.