Annaver Arias TTH 4:30-6:00

BS PSYCH 4 Miss Julieta Abordo

1st Mini Case

Anorexia Nervosa
Lorraine is an 18-year-old first-year college student who, since leaving home to go to school, has been
losing weight steadily. Initially, Lorraine wanted to lose a few pounds, thinking this would make her look
sexier. She stopped eating at the cafeteria, because they served too many starchy foods, choosing
instead to prepare her own low-calorie meals. Within 2 months, she became obsessed with dieting and
exercise and with a fear that she might gain weight and become fat. She stopped menstruating, and her
weight dropped from 110 to 80 pounds. Regardless of the repeated expressions of concern by her
friends that she appeared emaciated, Lorraine insisted that she was fat. When Lorraine went home for
Thanksgiving break, her parents were so alarmed that they insisted she go for professional help.
Questions:
 What behaviors of Lorraine’s are symptoms of anorexia nervosa?

 What role do you think the stresses of college adjustment played in Lorraine’s development of
this eating disorder?

2nd Mini Case

Bulimia Nervosa
Cynthia is a 26-year-old dance teacher. Cynthia has struggled with her weight since adolescence. A
particular problem for Cynthia has been her love of high-calorie carbohydrates. She regularly binges on a
variety of sweets and then forces herself to vomit. Over the years, Cynthia has developed a number of
physical problems from the frequent cycles of binging and purging. She recently went to her physician,
complaining of severe stomach cramps that had bothered her for several weeks.
Questions:
 What physical symptoms in addition to stomach cramps might signal to Cynthia’s physician
that she has bulimia nervosa?
 How does Cynthia’s disorder differ from Lorraine’s anorexia nervosa?