Eating disorder not otherwise specified
Encyclopedia
Eating disorder not otherwise specified (EDNOS) involves disordered eating patterns. EDNOS is described in the DSM-IV-TR as a "category [of] disorders of eating that do not meet the criteria for any specific eating disorder".
, bulimia nervosa
or binge eating disorder
. For example, a person who shows almost all of the symptoms of anorexia nervosa, but who still has a normal menstrual cycle
and/or body mass index
, can be diagnosed with EDNOS. Or someone that restricts and shows most of the symptoms of anorexia but has occasional episodes of binging without purging. A sufferer may experience episodes of binging and purging, but may not do so frequently enough to warrant a diagnosis of bulimia nervosa. A person may also engage in binging episodes without the use of inappropriate compensatory behaviors; this is referred to as binge eating disorder
.
People diagnosed with EDNOS may frequently switch between different eating patterns, or may with time fit all diagnostic criteria for anorexia or bulimia.
People who eat a normal amount of food, but become exceedingly obsessed with healthy eating, or strictly categorize normal foods or entire food groups as "safe" and "off-limits", may be referred to as having orthorexia. However, this diagnosis
is not formally accepted by the psychiatric community.
Characteristics
This category is frequently used for people who meet some, but not all, of the diagnostic criteria for anorexia nervosaAnorexia nervosa
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by refusal to maintain a healthy body weight and an obsessive fear of gaining weight. Although commonly called "anorexia", that term on its own denotes any symptomatic loss of appetite and is not strictly accurate...
, bulimia nervosa
Bulimia nervosa
Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by binge eating and purging or consuming a large amount of food in a short amount of time, followed by an attempt to rid oneself of the food consumed, usually by purging and/or by laxative, diuretics or excessive exercise. Bulimia nervosa is...
or binge eating disorder
Binge eating disorder
Binge eating disorder is the most common eating disorder in the United States affecting 3.5% of females and 2% of males and is prevalent in up to 30% of those seeking weight loss treatment...
. For example, a person who shows almost all of the symptoms of anorexia nervosa, but who still has a normal menstrual cycle
Menstrual cycle
The menstrual cycle is the scientific term for the physiological changes that can occur in fertile women for the purpose of sexual reproduction. This article focuses on the human menstrual cycle....
and/or body mass index
Body mass index
The body mass index , or Quetelet index, is a heuristic proxy for human body fat based on an individual's weight and height. BMI does not actually measure the percentage of body fat. It was invented between 1830 and 1850 by the Belgian polymath Adolphe Quetelet during the course of developing...
, can be diagnosed with EDNOS. Or someone that restricts and shows most of the symptoms of anorexia but has occasional episodes of binging without purging. A sufferer may experience episodes of binging and purging, but may not do so frequently enough to warrant a diagnosis of bulimia nervosa. A person may also engage in binging episodes without the use of inappropriate compensatory behaviors; this is referred to as binge eating disorder
Binge eating disorder
Binge eating disorder is the most common eating disorder in the United States affecting 3.5% of females and 2% of males and is prevalent in up to 30% of those seeking weight loss treatment...
.
People diagnosed with EDNOS may frequently switch between different eating patterns, or may with time fit all diagnostic criteria for anorexia or bulimia.
People who eat a normal amount of food, but become exceedingly obsessed with healthy eating, or strictly categorize normal foods or entire food groups as "safe" and "off-limits", may be referred to as having orthorexia. However, this diagnosis
Medical diagnosis
Medical diagnosis refers both to the process of attempting to determine or identify a possible disease or disorder , and to the opinion reached by this process...
is not formally accepted by the psychiatric community.