Eating Disorders

Sometimes it is easy to form an unhealthy relationship with the food we consume and choose not to consume. If you have been feeling as though you may be suffering from an eating disorder, please take a look at the criteria that falls under anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating (provided by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition). Please contact us if you have any further questions or want to set up an appointment with one of our counselors! —– (708) 633-8000 —–

Anorexia Nervosa

Diagnostic Criteria:

A. 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.

B. Intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat, or persistent behavior that interferes with weight gain, even though at a significantly low weight.

C. 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 of the seriousness of the current low body weight.

Bulimia Nervosa

Diagnostic Criteria:

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

1. Eating in a discrete amount of time (e.g., within a 2 hour period) an amount of food that is definitely larger than what most individuals would eat in a similar period of time under similar circumstances.

2. Sense of lack of control over eating during an episode. (e.g., a feeling that one cannot stop eating or control what or how much one is eating)

B. Recurrent inappropriate compensatory behavior in order to prevent weight gain, such as self-induced vomiting; misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or other medications; fasting or excessive exercise.

C. The binge eating and inappropriate compensatory behaviors both occur, on average, at least once a week for 3 months.

D. Self-evaluation is unduly influenced by body shape and weight.

E. The disturbance does not occur exclusively during episodes of anorexia nervosa.

Binge Eating Disorder

Diagnostic Criteria:

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 (e.g., within any 2-hour period), 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 episode (e.g., a feeling that one cannot stop eating or control what or how much one is eating).

B. The binge-eating episodes are associated with three (or more) of the following:

1. Eating much more rapidly than normal.

2. Eating until feeling uncomfortably full.

3. Eating large amounts of food when not feeling 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.

C. Marked distress regarding binge eating is present.

D. The binge eating occurs, on average, at least once a week for 3 months.

E. The binge eating is not associated with the recurrent use of inappropriate compensatory behavior as in bulimia nervosa and does not occur exclusively during the course of bulimia nervosa or anorexia nervosa.