Bulimia Nervosa Case Study Essay

Assessing the case study of Lori, a 12-year old girl from a rural town in Illinois, the symptomatic identification of Bulimia Nervosa (BN) and Alcohol abuse mark a co-occurring condition. According to the American Psychiatric Association (2013), the diagnosis for Bulimia Nervosa is determined by the compensation for binge eating through methods of self-induced vomiting and the misuse of laxatives and diuretics in order to control weight gain. Lori’s weight has become an issue of poor self-body image as she enters into adolescents and is increasingly affecting her self-esteem in comparison to her sister’s position in the family dynamic. Though the Bulimia has most likely been brought on by peer influence, the effects of this diagnosis, have

This process of change can be obtained through the setting of two primary goals; education focused on healthy perception of food and nutrition as it pertains to body image and healthy coping skills through family therapy and supportive structure. The Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) approach is superior nutritional counseling alone in improving core binge eating, vomiting, laxative use, and body dissatisfaction (Chakraborty & Basu, 2010). This therapeutic approach is critical to maintaining abstinence of eating behavior, in order to properly address the roots of Lori’s issues with poor body image. Once the symptomatic behavior is addressed, Lori will focus on the driving factors that derive such poor self-perception. Family therapy is equally critical in developing a supportive environment for Lori to return to and address the issues that originally stimulated her poor self-image. Working with the entire family allows he therapist to establish a more accurate perspective on the problem (McWhirter, et al., 2012). Though Lori may be able to abstain and begin to develop the necessary self-esteem to change problematic behavior, the family dynamic must be addressed in hopes of supporting this