Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by a refusal to maintain a minimally normal body weight, significant disturbance in body image and intense fear of weight gain.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders lists the following diagnostic criteria for anorexia nervosa:
- Refusal to maintain body weight at or above a minimally normal body weight for age and height (e.g., less than 85% of expected weight)
- Intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat, even though underweight
- 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
- Amenorrhea (i.e., the absence of at least three consecutive menstrual cycles) in women who are beyond the age of their first menstrual cycle.
There are two subtypes of anorexia nervosa: anorexia nervosa, binge-eating/purging type and anorexia nervosa, restricting type. A person with anorexia nervosa, binge-eating/purging type regularly engages in binge eating and then purging (e.g., self-induced vomiting, misuse of laxatives) behavior. (This is distinguished from bulimia nervosa, purging type, which includes some of the same behaviors but is not associated with below normal weight.) A person with anorexia nervosa, restricting type, does not engage in binge-eating/purging behaviors.
Source: American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, 4th ed, text revision. Washington, DC, Author, 2000.
