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Eating Disorders
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Eating Disorders |
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Eating Disorders involve serious disturbances in eating behavior that results in significant reductions in food intake or overeating. These extremes are accompanied by distress over body weight and body image. The current DSM IV Eating Disorders include:
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- Anorexia Nervosa (restricting type, binge-eating/purging type)
- Bulimia Nervosa (purging type, non-purging type)
- Eating Disorder NOS
- Binge Eating Disorder (identified for further study).
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Anorexia Nervosa, although not common (approximately 0.5-3.7% lifetime prevalence of women in the US), can be severely debilitating and even fatal (mortality rates approach 20%). This disorder involves a significant resistance to maintain adequate weight, an intense irrational fear of gaining weight, disturbance in body image, self-evaluation and amenorrhea. |
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Bulimia Nervosa is somewhat more common than Anorexia Nervosa (approximately 1.1-4.2% lifetime prevalence of women in the US). This disorder involves binging, compensatory behaviors, and a loss of control. Patients with Bulimia Nervosa are usually within the normal weight range, but similar to anorexic patients, have a disturbance in their self-evaluation of body shape and eating habits. |
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Eating Disorder NOS would be appropriate for patients who have symptoms of eating disorders, but do not meet the full criteria (for instance, a patient meets all the criteria for Anorexia Nervosa, but still has regular menses). |
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Binge Eating Disorder is estimated to occur in 2-5% of the US population during any 6 month period, therefore, the prevalence is much higher than that of Anorexia Nervosa or Bulimia Nervosa and consists of binging, lack of control, distress, but no compensatory behaviors. |
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Websites of Interest |
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For additional information, the American Psychiatric Association Clinical Practice Guidelines are available for Eating Disorders at:
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Author: Ai Ton, LCSW
Patient Care Coordinator-Value Options
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