The information was obtained from Mrs. B., a 24 years old female. The psychiatric-mental health assessment is necessary in this case because the patient is viewed as insecure about her appearance by members of the family. She frequently throws up after meals and is anxious about her weight most of the time. A survey was used to assess the patient’s mental status (Goroll & Mulley, 2014). She has got the highest possible score, and it is a significant factor because it indicates that no significant mental issues are present. No problems with self-esteem were noted. It is noticeable that she has frequent mood swings and tries to draw attention to herself. Overall, it is evident that she has a distorted perception of her body.
The patient’s current diet may be described as unreasonable. She has suffered an enormous loss of weight over the last few years that should not be disregarded. Mrs. B. avoids certain foods and prefers fruits and vegetables in most cases. It needs to be said that laxatives are also frequently used. She does not have a history of drug use, and it is a significant factor because it could worsen the situation. It is also imperative to note that the process of eating is viewed as something terrifying by the patient and often causes discomfort. The fact that she is not physically active is significant because her muscles may be severely weakened as a result of such eating behavior.
Mrs. B. immigrated approximately six years ago. The patient has noted that she thinks that the treatment may not be complicated by issues that are associated with culture and traditions. She does not use traditional medicine and views it as extremely ineffective.
The patient has reported issues in the family. The primary issue that causes conflicts and disagreements is that most are not satisfied with her eating behavior. Husband often criticizes her actions, and he does not agree with her beliefs that she should lose weight. Mrs. B. has noted that nobody else in her family thinks that she needs to lose weight.
She currently works as an accountant for a local corporation and has plans for career development. It needs to be said that her current condition may be an issue because the employer may view her as mentally unstable because of her eating behavior.
The patient has issues with sleep and frequently wakes up in the middle of the night. It is paramount to note that nightmares are quite common. She struggles to fall asleep quite often because she has paranoid thoughts about her weight. The patient has also noted that she often feels sleepy during the day, and it negatively affects her overall performance in the workplace.
It needs to be said that teaching is a significant issue in this case because the patient does not view opinions of others as important and does not trust health care providers. SSRI antidepressants may be used to make sure that the patient can maintain healthy weight for her height (Yager et al., 2014). It is a major problem that needs to be addressed because it is entirely possible that she is at risk of development of numerous severe conditions. Overall, she should be educated about the dangers that are associated with unhealthy eating, and complications that may occur.
References
Goroll, A., & Mulley, A. (2014). Primary care medicine: office evaluation and management of the adult patient (7th ed.). Alphen aan den Rijn, NL: Wolters Kluwer Health.
Yager, J., Devlin, M., Halmi, K., Herzog, D., Mitchell, J., Powers, P., & Zerbe, K. (2014). Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Patients with Eating Disorders, 3rd Edition. FOC, 12(4), 416-431.