Feeding and Eating Disorders

Diagnostic Exercises

For each case you just need one diagnosis as per the 4 answers provided.
Please also identify at least 2 diagnostic criteria from the DSM-5 for each Diagnosis to support each diagnosis you have chosen.

Case 1
Maureen Seth is a 42-year-old woman who vividly remembers choking on a salad about 3years ago. “It felt like my cucumber was a rock that just didn’t move down my throat. It was awful. You know those little ‘prickles’ that stick out on the sides? Well, they felt like spikes!” Since that time, Maureen has been afraid to eat a range of solid vegetables because she is afraid she will choke again. “I can just look at a cucumber and feel my throat starting to close up,” she adds. Maureen is afraid of embarrassing herself so she only eats at home and has lost weight. What is the most likely diagnosis to consider?

a) Pica
b) Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder
c) Bulimia nervosa
d) Anorexia nervosa

Case 2
Alberta Rynner, age seventeen, started dieting to lose weight because her boyfriend, Paul, thought she was “too fat.” Her diet consisted of eating no more than a banana and drinking two cups of plain tea each day. At the beginning of her diet, she weighed 130 pounds. By the end of five months she lost thirty-five pounds and was exhibiting some medical complications that included cold intolerance, constipation, painful swelling of her fingers, knees, and elbows. Additionally, Alberta reports she has not had a normal menstrual cycle for the past three months. Her most likely diagnosis would be:

a) Anorexia nervosa, restricting type
b) Pica
c) Binge eating disorder (BED)
d) Bulimia nervosa, partial remission

Case 3
Bill Houston will eat large quantities of food in a relatively short period of time and tells his social worker that he’s “out of control” when eating. After binging, Bill makes himself vomit to rid his body of the food. He binges and purges about two to three times a month and has been doing so for the last seven or eight months. He admits that his self-esteem is strongly linked to his physical appearance. The most likely diagnosis to consider for Bill’s pattern of eating is:

a) Binge eating disorder (BED)
b) Bulimia nervosa, in partial remission
c) Other specified feeding or eating disorder
d) Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder

Case 4
Mavis Brown is a nineteen-year old African American woman who weighs ninety percent of her expected normal weight (for her height and age) and has an intense fear of gaining weight. Mavis places undue emphasis on her body weight and shape that strongly influences her self-esteem. During a counseling session with you, Mavis admits that she does not understand all the “fuss” people have been making over her weight. Mavis’ diagnosis is most likely:

a) Other specified feeding or eating disorder, Atypical Anorexia nerv
b) Binge eating disorder
c) Bulimia nervosa, non-purging type
d) Anorexia nervosa, restrictive type