Identifying Eating Disorders

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV (DSM-IV)¹, Eating Disorders are characterized by severe disturbances in eating behavior. There are two types of Eating Disorder classifications:

Anorexia Nervosa

The essential features of Anorexia Nervosa are the refusal to maintain a minimally normal body weight, an intense fear of gaining weight, and exhibiting a significant disturbance in the perception of one’s body shape or size. In order to meet criteria for this disorder an individual must have:

1. Refusal to maintain body weight at or above the minimally normal weight for age and height (i.e., below 85% of ideal body weight).
2. Intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat, even though underweight.
3. Disturbance about one’s body weight or shape, undue influence of body weight or shape on
   self-evaluation, or denial of the seriousness of the current low body weight.
4. In women who have passed puberty, the absence of at least three consecutive menstrual cycles.

There are two subtypes of Anorexia Nervosa:

• Restricting, or not engaging in binge eating (eating excessive amounts of food) and purging (vomiting, misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or enemas)
• Binge-Eating/Purging, regularly engaging in binge eating or purging behavior

Bulimia Nervosa

The essential features of Bulimia Nervosa include binge eating and doing inappropriate interventions to prevent weight gain. In order to meet criteria for this disorder an individual must experience the following:

1. Recurrent episodes of binge eating as defined by:
1. Eating an amount of food that is significantly larger than most people would eat within any two-hour period of time; and
2. Feeling unable to control over eating behavior during the episode
2. Doing inappropriate things to prevent weight gain (e.g., vomiting, misusing laxatives, diuretics, enemas, or other medications; fasting; or excessive exercise)
3. Both 1) and 2) occur at least twice a week for a three month period
4. Self-evaluation is unduly influenced by body shape and weight

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