The information below is from Eating Disorder Resource Center and now contains updated DSM-V diagnostic criteria. More diagnosis is to be added soon.

Eating disorders are serious physical and mental health conditions that can have life-threatening consequences for the people who suffer from them. The causes of eating disorders are complex and can result from a combination of genetic, societal, interpersonal and psychological factors.

Anorexia Nervosa affects approximately one out of every 100 young women. People with anorexia often become very fearful of food and weight gain, and can have distorted thinking surrounding shape and weight.

Anorexia Nervosa

Diagnostic Criteria:

Restriction of energy intake relative to requirements, leading to a significantly low body weight in the context of age, sex, developmental trajectory, and physical health. Significantly low weight is defined as a weight that is less than minimally normal, or for children and adolescents, less than that minimally expected.

 

  • Intense fear of gaining weight or of becoming fat or persistent behavior that interfere with weight gain, even though at a significantly low weight.
  • 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 persistent lack of recognition at the seriousness of the current low body weight.

 

Specify:

-Restricting type: During the last three month, the individual has not engaged in recurrent episodes of being eating or purging behavior. This subtype describes presentation in which weight loss is accomplished primarily through dieting, fasting, and/or excessive exercise.

=Binge-eating/purging type: During the last three months, the individual has engaged in recurrent episodes of binge eating or a variety of purging behavior (vomiting, laxatives, diuretics, enemas).

Severity:

Mild: BMI less than 17

Moderate: BMI 16-16.99

Severe: BMI 15-15.99

Extreme: BMI less than 15

 

Bulimia Nervosa occurs in another 2 to 5 out of every 100 young women. This disorder is characterized by a sense of loss of control when eating; often individuals will consume large quantities of food in one sitting and then engage in compensatory purging behaviors (i.e. vomiting, laxative use and/or compulsive exercise).

Bulimia Nervosa

A. Recurrent episodes of binge eating. An episode of binge eating is characterized by both of the following :

  1. Eating, in a discrete period of time (within any 2hr period) an amount of food that is definitely larger than most individuals would eat i a similar period of the time under similar circumstances.
  2. A sense of lack of control over eating during the episode ie. feeling that one cannot stop or control what they are eating.
  1. Recurrent inappropriate behaviors in order to prevent weight gain such as, self-induced vomiting, misuse of laxatives, diuretics or other medications, fasting or excessive exercise.
  2. The binge eating and inappropriate compensatory behaviors both occur, on average, at least once a week for three months.
  3. Self-evaluation is unduly influenced by body shape and weight.
  4. The disturbance does not occur exclusively during episodes of AN

 

Severity:

Mild: average of 1-3 episodes per week

Moderate: average of 4-7 episodes per week

Severe: average of 8-13 episodes per week

Extreme: average of 14 or more episodes per week.

Binge Eating Disorder affects about 10-15% of mildly obese individuals and is marked by repeated episodes of uncontrolled overeating. This disorder can lead to conditions of overweight and obesity.

Binge Eating Disorder-

Diagnostic Criteria:

Recurrent episodes of binge eating. An episode of binge eating is characterized by both of the following:

    1. Eating in a discrete period of time an amount of food that is definitely larger than what most people would eat in a similar period of time under similar circumstances.
    2. A sense of lack of control over eating during the period ie. feeling like one cannot stop.
  1. The binge-eating episodes are associated with three or more of the following:
      1. Eating much more rapidly than usual
      2. Eating until feeling uncomfortably full
      3. Eating a large amount of food when not physically hungry
      4. Eating alone because of feeling embarrassed by how much one is eating
      5. Feeling disgusted with oneself, depressed, or very guilty afterward
  1. Marked distress regarding binge eating is present
  2. The binge eating occurs, on average, at least once a week for three months
  3. The binge eating is not associated with the recurrent use of inappropriate compensatory behavior as in bulimia nervosa and does occur exclusively during the course of BN  or AN.

Severity:

Mild: 1-3 episodes per week

Moderate-4-7 episodes per week

Severe: 8-13 episodes per week

Extreme: 14 or more episodes per week

 

Other Specified Feeding and Eating Disorders (OSFED) is a diagnostic category that represents individuals with eating disordered behaviors that resemble anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa but whose eating behaviors do not meet one or more essential diagnostic criteria.

Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder

This category applies to presentations in which symptoms characteristic of a feeding and eating disorder that cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning predominate but do not meet the full criteria for any of the disorders in the feeding and eating diagnostic class.  Examples of presentations that can be specified using the “other specified” designation include the following.

A.. Atypical anorexia nervosa

All of the criteria for AN are met, except that despite significant weight loss the individual’s weight is within or above normal range.

B. Bulimia Nervosa (at low frequency or limited duration)

All of the criteria for bulimia nervosa are met, except that the binge eating and inappropriate compensatory behaviors occur, on average, less than once a week and/or for less than 3 months.

C. Binge-eating (at low frequency or limited duration)

All of the criteria for binge-eating disorder are met, except that the binge eating occurs, on average, less than once a week and/or less than 3 months.

D. Purging Disorder

Recurrent purging behavior to influence weight or shape (e.g. self-induced vomiting, misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or other meds) in the absence of binge eating.

**This information came from Eating Disorder Resource Center, the latest edition of the DSM-V and will be updated further soon.