Anorexia, Bulimia, & Other Eating Disorders
Most health and mental health professionals agree that the
following symptoms are the diagnostic criteria for anorexia
and bulimia:
Anorexia Nervosa
A. Refusal to maintain body weight at or above a minimally
normal weight for age and height (e.g., weight loss leading
to maintenance of body weight less than 85% of that expected;
or failure to make expected weight gain during period of growth,
leading to body weight less than 85% of that expected).
B. Intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat, even though
underweight.
C. Disturbance in the way in which one's body weight or shape
is experienced, undue influence of body weight or shape on
self-evaluation, or denial of the seriousness of the current
low body weight.
D. In postmenarcheal females, amenorrhea, i.e., the absence
of at least three consecutive menstrual cycles. (A woman is
considered to have amenorrhea if her periods occur only following
hormone, e.g., estrogen administration.)
BULIMIA NERVOSA
A. Recurrent episodes of binge eating. An episode of binge
eating is characterized by the following:
1) eating, in a discrete period of time (e.g., within any
2-hour period), an amount of food that is definitely larger
than most people would eat during a similar period of time
and under similar circumstances, and
2) a sense of lack of control over eating during the episode
(e.g., a feeling that one cannot stop eating or control what
or how much one is eating).
B. Recurrent inappropriate compensatory behavior in order
to prevent weight gain, such as self-induced vomiting; misuse
of laxatives, diuretics, enemas, or other medications; fasting,
or excessive exercise.
C. The binge eating and inappropriate compensatory behaviors
both occur, on average, at least twice a week for 3 months.
D. Self-evaluation is unduly influenced by body shape and
weight.
E. The disturbance does not occur exclusively during episodes
of anorexia nervosa.
Specific type:
Purging Type: during the current episode of bulimia nervosa,
the person has regularly engaged in self-induced vomiting
or the misuse of laxatives, diuretics or enemas.
Non purging Type: during the current episode of bulimia nervosa,
the person has used other inappropriate compensatory behaviors,
such as fasting or excessive exercise, but has not regularly
engaged in self-induced vomiting or the misuse of laxatives,
diuretics or enemas.
It is important to recognize that in regard to bulimia, a
person does not have to induce vomiting or abuse laxatives
in order to be bulimic. The "non-purge" type of bulimia means
that the purging takes the form of fasting or excessive exercise
rather than vomiting or laxative abuse.
In addition to anorexia and bulimia, there are other forms
of eating disorders. The other common diagnostic criteria
or symptom group that is also considered an eating disorder
is as follows:
EATING DISORDER NOT OTHERWISE SPECIFIED
The Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified category is for
disorders of eating that does not meet the criteria for any
specific Eating Disorder such as Anorexia or Bulimia Examples
of a Non-Specified Eating Disorder include:
1) For females, all of the criteria for anorexia nervosa
are met except that the individual has regular menses.
2) All of the criteria for anorexia nervosa are met except
that, despite significant weight loss, the individual's current
weight is in the normal range.
3) All of the criteria for bulimia nervosa are met except
binge eating and inappropriate compensatory mechanisms occur
at a frequency of less than twice a week or for a duration
of less than 3 months.
4) The regular use of inappropriate compensatory behavior
by an individual of normal body weight after eating small
amounts of food (e.g., self-induced vomiting after the consumption
of two cookies.)
5) Repeatedly chewing and spitting out, but not swallowing
large amounts of foods.
If in reading these criteria, you identify your own behavior,
you are encouraged to talk to a health or mental health professional.
Having an eating disorder is serious and requires professional
evaluation and input. Athletes can and do recover from eating
disorders. The sooner you speak to a professional and begin
the recovery process, the faster your recovery will be.
This criteria is taken from the Diagnostic Criteria from
the DSM IV published by the American Psychiatric Association,
Washington, D.C., May 1994