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Anorexia nervosa is a psychiatric illness that describes an eating disorder, characterized by extreme low body weight and body image distortion, with an obsessive fear of gaining weight. Individuals with anorexia are known to control body weight commonly through the means of voluntary starvation, purging, excessive exercise or other weight control measures, such as diet pills or diuretic drugs. While the condition primarily affects adolescent females, approximately 10% of people with the diagnosis are male[1]. Anorexia nervosa, involving neurobiological, psychological, and sociological components[2], is a complex condition that can lead to death in severe cases.
The term anorexia is of Greek origin: a (a, prefix of negation), n (?, link between two vowels) and orexis (??e???, appetite), thus meaning a lack of desire to eat.[3]
“Anorexia nervosa” is frequently shortened to “anorexia” in the popular media. This is technically incorrect, as the term “anorexia” used separately refers to the medical symptom of reduced appetite (which therefore is distinguishable from anorexia nervosa in being non-psychiatric).
Established by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR) and the World Health Organization’s International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD).
Although biological tests can aid the diagnosis of anorexia, the diagnosis is based on a combination of behavior, reported beliefs and experiences, and physical characteristics of the patient. Anorexia is typically diagnosed by a clinical psychologist, psychiatrist or other suitably qualified clinician. Notably, diagnostic criteria are intended to assist clinicians, and are not intended to be representative of what an individual sufferer feels or experiences in living with the illness.
The full ICD-10 diagnostic criteria for anorexia nervosa can be found here, and the DSM-IV-TR criteria can be found here.
To be diagnosed as having anorexia nervosa, according to the DSM-IV-TR, a person must display:
Furthermore, the DSM-IV-TR specifies two subtypes:
The ICD-10 criteria are similar, but in addition, specifically mention
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