Overview
Introduction
An eating disorder is a mental health illness in which eating behaviour, weight or shape concerns, or food avoidance become persistent enough to impair health or functioning.
An eating disorder is a mental-health illness in which eating behaviour, weight or shape concerns, or food avoidance become persistent enough to impair health or functioning. Neurobiological vulnerability interacts with psychological processes and sociocultural pressures; the result is not a lifestyle choice. The medical burden can be severe even when the patient does not appear emaciated. Use DSM-5 criteria to identify the syndrome, but do not let diagnostic refinement delay acuity assessment. Anorexia nervosa involves restriction with low energy availability and weight or shape disturbance; bulimia nervosa combines recurrent binge eating with compensatory behaviour; binge-eating disorder involves recurrent binges without regular compensation; and ARFID causes restrictive intake without weight- or shape-driven body-image disturbance. The immediate clinical question is whether the patient can be treated safely in the current setting. Bradycardia, hypotension, hypothermia, electrolyte depletion, rapid weight loss, and mental-status change shift the priority to medical stabilization. For adolescents with anorexia nervosa, Family-Based Treatment is first-line when delivered in the least intensive setting that remains safe. Medication is generally adjunctive rather than the engine of recovery. The NP therefore connects diagnostic...