|
|
Article: Developing a therapeutic alliance in an eating disorders unit: at the country's only specialist inpatient unit for people with anorexia nervosa, nurses work in partnership with patients to determine what "health", care" and "recovery" may mean.(PRACTICE)
- Article from:
- Kai Tiaki: Nursing New Zealand
- Article date:
- November 1, 2007
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 New Zealand Nurses' Organisation. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
By the age of 15, approximately half of New Zealand's schoolgirls have dieted to lose weight. A small proportion of these (maybe one percent of women) may go on to develop anorexia nervosa (AN) at some stage in their lives, and up to three percent will suffer from bulimia nervosa. (1) AN is characterised by a person refusing to maintain a minimally normal body weight and exhibiting a significant disturbance in their perception of their shape or size. It is a disorder primarily associated with young women in industrialised countries. (1)
People with AN are intensely fearful of weight gain and may perceive their body (or parts of their body) to be fat. Often their ...