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Bulimia Nervosa

The essential features of Bulimia Nervosa are binge eating and inappropriate compensatory methods to prevent weight gain at least twice a week for at least three months. The self-evaluation of people with Bulimia Nervosa is excessively influenced by body shape and weight. A binge is defined as eating in a discrete period of time (usually […]

Anorexia Nervosa

MacLeod (1981) states people with anorexia are notoriously difficult persons who are determined to hang on to their symptoms at all costs. This is a common view throughout the medical profession and related fields, possibly due to the ego-syntonic nature of eating disorders – the person is comfortable with the disorder and views it as […]

The Starvation Syndrome

One of the most important advancements in the understanding of eating disorders is the recognition that many of the symptoms once thought to be primary features of anorexia nervosa are actually symptoms of starvation. An experimental study, conducted and published 50 years ago by Ancel Keys and his colleagues at the University of Minnesota (Keys, […]

Stages of an Eating Disorder

Lemberg (1992) also proposes a model of development whereby a person moves from voluntary dieting through a number of stages to reach a fully entrenched eating disorder. Stage 1: Normal, voluntary dieting behaviour. Unfortunately dieting behaviours have become the “norm”, with 47% of people in Australia having tried to lose weight in the past twelve […]

The Development of an Eating Disorder

There are many environmental, cultural, psychological and biological factors which combine in different ways in the development of an eating disorder. These factors can be divided into three factors, as seen below in Figure 1. Important factors which predispose a person to developing an eating disorder include being female, living in Western society, being an […]

Series: Eating Disorders

Eating disorders are complex, multifaceted physical and mental health problems. Their development usually involves a number of different contributing and perpetuating factors. The exact processes are unclear and is it uncertain how they interact to develop or maintain an eating disorder (Fairburn & Harrison, 2003). Contributing factors could include one or a combination of physical, […]

Workplace Harassment: Tanya’s Case Study

Tanya is an 18 year old girl who works part time in a shoe store to pay her way through university. The manager is Brad a 29 year old, fit looking man who is a real go-getter can-do sort of personality. Tanya is by contrast quite shy and very well mannered. Tanya asked Brad one […]

Workplace Harassment: Jack’s Case Study

Jack is a 59 year old single male who is a manager in a busy retail firm. Jack feels that life has passed him by a bit. He is regarded as a good manager but he has no ambitions at his stage of life to advance any more. He has worked for the firm for […]

Workplace Bullying: Effective Resposes

Here are some recommendations to effectively deal with workplace bullying or harassment. In the next post, we’ll explore a case study example of preferred options. Learn about people and their personalities — so that you don’t become a serial victim of another person’s bullying or harassing behaviour. Refer back to the work of Brinkman & […]

Workplace Harassment: Leanne’s Case Study

The following case study is based loosely around a real story but the people and the circumstances are fictional. Leanne is a 48 year old woman who is one of two product managers in a major computer parts facility. Leanne has excellent qualifications and experience as a manager in the computer sales industry. However she […]