摘要
objectives: to identify the social representations of nursing staff regarding eating disorders. methods: qualitative research, descriptive and exploratory, in which twelve professionals have been interviewed, and their reports have been analyzed under the social representation point of view. results: the data were submitted a content analysis and two categories emerged - %26quot;knowledge construction%26quot; and %26quot;actions/feelings field%26quot;, constituted by themes as control/limit, where the worker%26apos;s psychic suffering is more evident, mostly those cases in imminence of suicide. discussion: the mentioned knowledge gives us representations anchored essentially on a medical-scientific speech, in an interface with practical knowledge, which the daily life provides. conclusion: it is necessary pay attention to affective-symbolic content of the relationships of nursing care process.