The traditional eating disorder categories too rigidly define what is and is not a certain eating disorder, leaving a lot of disorders lumped together in ambiguous groupings (ie., OSFED). Many people who struggle with disordered eating may experience a variety of symptoms and eating disorder behaviors throughout the scope of their illness. People often float from one category to another over time.
Binge Eating Disorder is an eating disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of binge eating, a feeling of loss of control during the binges, and often, feelings of shame, guilt and/or disgust following the bingeing behavior. It is a life-threatening illness. BED is the most common eating disorder diagnosis in the United States.
Diagnostic Criteria
Recurrent episodes of binge eating. An episode of binge eating is characterized by both of the following:
What is Controversial About This:
Binge Eating Disorder is the most common eating disorder in America, and it wasn’t recognized in the DSM until Edition V. This has created a belief amongst many that it is not a legitimate eating disorder, and that is false and dangerous!
Orthorexia is currently not formally recognized in the DSM, but it is an eating disorder that has been recognized widely since 1998. It is an eating disorder in which the person afflicted has an obsession with self-perceived ‘healthy eating.’ There is often an extreme fixation on the purity and perceived quality of food. Often, people with orthorexia become so fixated on their concept of ‘healthy-eating’ that it damages their own well-being (e.g. not being able to get other things done due to constant rumination, not eating at certain events because of kinds of food present)
Common Symptoms and Warning Signs of Orthorexia:
What is Controversial About This:
Orthorexia is not officially defined in the DSM. It’s often used colloquially as an obsession with health to the point where it starts to become unhealthy. This type of mindset can be present with any eating disorder.
This category applies to presentations of eating/feeding disorders in which symptoms 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 disorders diagnostic class. The other specified feeding or eating disorder category is used in situations in which the clinician chooses to communicate the specific reason that the presentation does not meet the criteria for any specific feeding and eating disorder. This is done by recording “other specified feeding or eating disorder” followed by the specific reason (e.g., “bulimia nervosa of low frequency”).
Examples of presentations that can be specified using the “other specified” designation include the following:
Atypical anorexia nervosa: All of the criteria for anorexia nervosa are met, except that despite significant weight loss, the individual’s weight is within or above the normal range.
Bulimia nervosa (of low frequency and/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.
Binge-eating disorder (of low frequency and/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 for less than 3 months.
Purging disorder: Recurrent purging behavior to influence weight or shape (e.g., self-induced vomiting; misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or other medications) in the absence of binge eating.
Night eating syndrome: Recurrent episodes of night eating, as manifested by eating after awakening from sleep or by excessive food consumption after the evening meal. There is awareness and recall of the eating. The night eating is not better explained by external influences such as changes in the individual’s sleep-wake cycle or by local social norms. The night eating causes significant distress and/or impairment in functioning. The disordered pattern of eating is not better explained by binge-eating disorder or another mental disorder, including substance use, and is not attributable to another medical disorder or to an effect of medication.
What is Controversial About This:
PICA is a well-defined disorder and its definition is widely accepted.
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 disorders diagnostic class. The unspecified feeding and eating disorder category is used in situations in which the clinician chooses not to specify the reason that the criteria are not met for a specific feeding and eating disorder, and includes presentations in which there is insufficient information to make a more specific diagnosis (e.g., in emergency room settings).
What is Controversial About This:
This category is not well defined, and thus, is not useful for treatment purposes.
The traditional eating disorder categories too rigidly define what is and is not a certain eating disorder, leaving a lot of disorders lumped together in ambiguous groupings (ie., OSFED). Many people who struggle with disordered eating may experience a variety of symptoms and eating disorder behaviors throughout the scope of their illness. People often float from one category to another over time.
Bulimia is an eating disorder characterized by a cycle of behaviors in which one binge eats and then uses compensatory behaviors, such as self-induced vomiting, excessive exercise, and/or the use of laxatives in an attempt to compensate for the binge behaviors. Like all eating disorders, Bulimia is a life-threatening illness. The use of binge and purge behaviors can be extremely harmful on the body for a variety of reasons.
Diagnostic Criteria
What is Controversial About This:
ALL purging behavior, especially self-induced vomiting, is dangerous and a sign that you deserve treatment and support. You should not have to engage in purging behaviors for three months before it’s considered a problem.
The differentiation between Anorexia Binge-Purge subtype and Bulimia is ambiguous and not clearly defined and the behaviors and thought patterns are essentially the same.
Binge Eating Disorder is an eating disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of binge eating, a feeling of loss of control during the binges, and often, feelings of shame, guilt and/or disgust following the bingeing behavior. It is a life-threatening illness. BED is the most common eating disorder diagnosis in the United States.
Diagnostic Criteria
Recurrent episodes of binge eating. An episode of binge eating is characterized by both of the following:
What is Controversial About This:
Binge Eating Disorder is the most common eating disorder in America, and it wasn’t recognized in the DSM until Edition V. This has created a belief amongst many that it is not a legitimate eating disorder, and that is false and dangerous!
Orthorexia is currently not formally recognized in the DSM, but it is an eating disorder that has been recognized widely since 1998. It is an eating disorder in which the person afflicted has an obsession with self-perceived ‘healthy eating.’ There is often an extreme fixation on the purity and perceived quality of food. Often, people with orthorexia become so fixated on their concept of ‘healthy-eating’ that it damages their own well-being (e.g. not being able to get other things done due to constant rumination, not eating at certain events because of kinds of food present)
Common Symptoms and Warning Signs of Orthorexia:
What is Controversial About This:
Orthorexia is not officially defined in the DSM. It’s often used colloquially as an obsession with health to the point where it starts to become unhealthy. This type of mindset can be present with any eating disorder.
This category applies to presentations of eating/feeding disorders in which symptoms 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 disorders diagnostic class. The other specified feeding or eating disorder category is used in situations in which the clinician chooses to communicate the specific reason that the presentation does not meet the criteria for any specific feeding and eating disorder. This is done by recording “other specified feeding or eating disorder” followed by the specific reason (e.g., “bulimia nervosa of low frequency”).
Examples of presentations that can be specified using the “other specified” designation include the following:
Atypical anorexia nervosa: All of the criteria for anorexia nervosa are met, except that despite significant weight loss, the individual’s weight is within or above the normal range.
Bulimia nervosa (of low frequency and/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.
Binge-eating disorder (of low frequency and/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 for less than 3 months.
Purging disorder: Recurrent purging behavior to influence weight or shape (e.g., self-induced vomiting; misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or other medications) in the absence of binge eating.
Night eating syndrome: Recurrent episodes of night eating, as manifested by eating after awakening from sleep or by excessive food consumption after the evening meal. There is awareness and recall of the eating. The night eating is not better explained by external influences such as changes in the individual’s sleep-wake cycle or by local social norms. The night eating causes significant distress and/or impairment in functioning. The disordered pattern of eating is not better explained by binge-eating disorder or another mental disorder, including substance use, and is not attributable to another medical disorder or to an effect of medication.
What is Controversial About This:
PICA is a well-defined disorder and its definition is widely accepted.
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 disorders diagnostic class. The unspecified feeding and eating disorder category is used in situations in which the clinician chooses not to specify the reason that the criteria are not met for a specific feeding and eating disorder, and includes presentations in which there is insufficient information to make a more specific diagnosis (e.g., in emergency room settings).
What is Controversial About This:
This category is not well defined, and thus, is not useful for treatment purposes.
The traditional eating disorder categories too rigidly define what is and is not a certain eating disorder, leaving a lot of disorders lumped together in ambiguous groupings (ie., OSFED). Many people who struggle with disordered eating may experience a variety of symptoms and eating disorder behaviors throughout the scope of their illness. People often float from one category to another over time.
The traditional eating disorder categories too rigidly define what is and is not a certain eating disorder, leaving a lot of disorders lumped together in ambiguous groupings (ie., OSFED). Many people who struggle with disordered eating may experience a variety of symptoms and eating disorder behaviors throughout the scope of their illness. People often float from one category to another over time.
Diagnostic Criteria
What is Controversial About This:
ARFID is an eating disorder characterized by a restriction in the amount and/or types of food someone consumes due to fears surrounding the food itself. This may manifest as an avoidance of food due to sensory characteristics of the food (e.g. texture, color), fear of consequences of eating food (e.g. becoming violently ill), or an apparent lack of interest for eating the food(s). This life-threatening illness can drastically affect proper development and growth in children, and in the case of adults, may result in drastic weight loss.
Diagnostic Criteria
An eating or feeding disturbance (e.g., apparent lack of interest in eating or food; avoidance based on sensory characteristics of food (e.g. texture, color); concern about aversive consequences of eating (e.g. fear of becoming violently ill)) as manifested by persistent failure to meet appropriate nutritional and/or energy needs associated with one (or more) of the following:
What’s Controversial About This:
The addition of ARFID into the DSM is a positive change as it recognizes a large portion of the population of people struggling with eating disorders that deserve a different approach to treatment that focuses on the sensory aversion to food.
Bulimia is an eating disorder characterized by a cycle of behaviors in which one binge eats and then uses compensatory behaviors, such as self-induced vomiting, excessive exercise, and/or the use of laxatives in an attempt to compensate for the binge behaviors. Like all eating disorders, Bulimia is a life-threatening illness. The use of binge and purge behaviors can be extremely harmful on the body for a variety of reasons.
Diagnostic Criteria
What is Controversial About This:
ALL purging behavior, especially self-induced vomiting, is dangerous and a sign that you deserve treatment and support. You should not have to engage in purging behaviors for three months before it’s considered a problem.
The differentiation between Anorexia Binge-Purge subtype and Bulimia is ambiguous and not clearly defined and the behaviors and thought patterns are essentially the same.
Binge Eating Disorder is an eating disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of binge eating, a feeling of loss of control during the binges, and often, feelings of shame, guilt and/or disgust following the bingeing behavior. It is a life-threatening illness. BED is the most common eating disorder diagnosis in the United States.
Diagnostic Criteria
Recurrent episodes of binge eating. An episode of binge eating is characterized by both of the following:
What is Controversial About This:
Binge Eating Disorder is the most common eating disorder in America, and it wasn’t recognized in the DSM until Edition V. This has created a belief amongst many that it is not a legitimate eating disorder, and that is false and dangerous!
Orthorexia is currently not formally recognized in the DSM, but it is an eating disorder that has been recognized widely since 1998. It is an eating disorder in which the person afflicted has an obsession with self-perceived ‘healthy eating.’ There is often an extreme fixation on the purity and perceived quality of food. Often, people with orthorexia become so fixated on their concept of ‘healthy-eating’ that it damages their own well-being (e.g. not being able to get other things done due to constant rumination, not eating at certain events because of kinds of food present)
Common Symptoms and Warning Signs of Orthorexia:
What is Controversial About This:
Orthorexia is not officially defined in the DSM. It’s often used colloquially as an obsession with health to the point where it starts to become unhealthy. This type of mindset can be present with any eating disorder.
This category applies to presentations of eating/feeding disorders in which symptoms 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 disorders diagnostic class. The other specified feeding or eating disorder category is used in situations in which the clinician chooses to communicate the specific reason that the presentation does not meet the criteria for any specific feeding and eating disorder. This is done by recording “other specified feeding or eating disorder” followed by the specific reason (e.g., “bulimia nervosa of low frequency”).
Examples of presentations that can be specified using the “other specified” designation include the following:
Atypical anorexia nervosa: All of the criteria for anorexia nervosa are met, except that despite significant weight loss, the individual’s weight is within or above the normal range.
Bulimia nervosa (of low frequency and/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.
Binge-eating disorder (of low frequency and/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 for less than 3 months.
Purging disorder: Recurrent purging behavior to influence weight or shape (e.g., self-induced vomiting; misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or other medications) in the absence of binge eating.
Night eating syndrome: Recurrent episodes of night eating, as manifested by eating after awakening from sleep or by excessive food consumption after the evening meal. There is awareness and recall of the eating. The night eating is not better explained by external influences such as changes in the individual’s sleep-wake cycle or by local social norms. The night eating causes significant distress and/or impairment in functioning. The disordered pattern of eating is not better explained by binge-eating disorder or another mental disorder, including substance use, and is not attributable to another medical disorder or to an effect of medication.
What is Controversial About This:
PICA is a well-defined disorder and its definition is widely accepted.
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 disorders diagnostic class. The unspecified feeding and eating disorder category is used in situations in which the clinician chooses not to specify the reason that the criteria are not met for a specific feeding and eating disorder, and includes presentations in which there is insufficient information to make a more specific diagnosis (e.g., in emergency room settings).
What is Controversial About This:
This category is not well defined, and thus, is not useful for treatment purposes.
The traditional eating disorder categories too rigidly define what is and is not a certain eating disorder, leaving a lot of disorders lumped together in ambiguous groupings (ie., OSFED). Many people who struggle with disordered eating may experience a variety of symptoms and eating disorder behaviors throughout the scope of their illness. People often float from one category to another over time.
The traditional eating disorder categories too rigidly define what is and is not a certain eating disorder, leaving a lot of disorders lumped together in ambiguous groupings (ie., OSFED). Many people who struggle with disordered eating may experience a variety of symptoms and eating disorder behaviors throughout the scope of their illness. People often float from one category to another over time.
Diagnostic Criteria
What is Controversial About This:
ARFID is an eating disorder characterized by a restriction in the amount and/or types of food someone consumes due to fears surrounding the food itself. This may manifest as an avoidance of food due to sensory characteristics of the food (e.g. texture, color), fear of consequences of eating food (e.g. becoming violently ill), or an apparent lack of interest for eating the food(s). This life-threatening illness can drastically affect proper development and growth in children, and in the case of adults, may result in drastic weight loss.
Diagnostic Criteria
An eating or feeding disturbance (e.g., apparent lack of interest in eating or food; avoidance based on sensory characteristics of food (e.g. texture, color); concern about aversive consequences of eating (e.g. fear of becoming violently ill)) as manifested by persistent failure to meet appropriate nutritional and/or energy needs associated with one (or more) of the following:
What’s Controversial About This:
The addition of ARFID into the DSM is a positive change as it recognizes a large portion of the population of people struggling with eating disorders that deserve a different approach to treatment that focuses on the sensory aversion to food.
Bulimia is an eating disorder characterized by a cycle of behaviors in which one binge eats and then uses compensatory behaviors, such as self-induced vomiting, excessive exercise, and/or the use of laxatives in an attempt to compensate for the binge behaviors. Like all eating disorders, Bulimia is a life-threatening illness. The use of binge and purge behaviors can be extremely harmful on the body for a variety of reasons.
Diagnostic Criteria
What is Controversial About This:
ALL purging behavior, especially self-induced vomiting, is dangerous and a sign that you deserve treatment and support. You should not have to engage in purging behaviors for three months before it’s considered a problem.
The differentiation between Anorexia Binge-Purge subtype and Bulimia is ambiguous and not clearly defined and the behaviors and thought patterns are essentially the same.
Binge Eating Disorder is an eating disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of binge eating, a feeling of loss of control during the binges, and often, feelings of shame, guilt and/or disgust following the bingeing behavior. It is a life-threatening illness. BED is the most common eating disorder diagnosis in the United States.
Diagnostic Criteria
Recurrent episodes of binge eating. An episode of binge eating is characterized by both of the following:
What is Controversial About This:
Binge Eating Disorder is the most common eating disorder in America, and it wasn’t recognized in the DSM until Edition V. This has created a belief amongst many that it is not a legitimate eating disorder, and that is false and dangerous!
Orthorexia is currently not formally recognized in the DSM, but it is an eating disorder that has been recognized widely since 1998. It is an eating disorder in which the person afflicted has an obsession with self-perceived ‘healthy eating.’ There is often an extreme fixation on the purity and perceived quality of food. Often, people with orthorexia become so fixated on their concept of ‘healthy-eating’ that it damages their own well-being (e.g. not being able to get other things done due to constant rumination, not eating at certain events because of kinds of food present)
Common Symptoms and Warning Signs of Orthorexia:
What is Controversial About This:
Orthorexia is not officially defined in the DSM. It’s often used colloquially as an obsession with health to the point where it starts to become unhealthy. This type of mindset can be present with any eating disorder.
This category applies to presentations of eating/feeding disorders in which symptoms 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 disorders diagnostic class. The other specified feeding or eating disorder category is used in situations in which the clinician chooses to communicate the specific reason that the presentation does not meet the criteria for any specific feeding and eating disorder. This is done by recording “other specified feeding or eating disorder” followed by the specific reason (e.g., “bulimia nervosa of low frequency”).
Examples of presentations that can be specified using the “other specified” designation include the following:
Atypical anorexia nervosa: All of the criteria for anorexia nervosa are met, except that despite significant weight loss, the individual’s weight is within or above the normal range.
Bulimia nervosa (of low frequency and/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.
Binge-eating disorder (of low frequency and/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 for less than 3 months.
Purging disorder: Recurrent purging behavior to influence weight or shape (e.g., self-induced vomiting; misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or other medications) in the absence of binge eating.
Night eating syndrome: Recurrent episodes of night eating, as manifested by eating after awakening from sleep or by excessive food consumption after the evening meal. There is awareness and recall of the eating. The night eating is not better explained by external influences such as changes in the individual’s sleep-wake cycle or by local social norms. The night eating causes significant distress and/or impairment in functioning. The disordered pattern of eating is not better explained by binge-eating disorder or another mental disorder, including substance use, and is not attributable to another medical disorder or to an effect of medication.
What is Controversial About This:
PICA is a well-defined disorder and its definition is widely accepted.
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 disorders diagnostic class. The unspecified feeding and eating disorder category is used in situations in which the clinician chooses not to specify the reason that the criteria are not met for a specific feeding and eating disorder, and includes presentations in which there is insufficient information to make a more specific diagnosis (e.g., in emergency room settings).
What is Controversial About This:
This category is not well defined, and thus, is not useful for treatment purposes.
The traditional eating disorder categories too rigidly define what is and is not a certain eating disorder, leaving a lot of disorders lumped together in ambiguous groupings (ie., OSFED). Many people who struggle with disordered eating may experience a variety of symptoms and eating disorder behaviors throughout the scope of their illness. People often float from one category to another over time.
Binge Eating Disorder is an eating disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of binge eating, a feeling of loss of control during the binges, and often, feelings of shame, guilt and/or disgust following the bingeing behavior. It is a life-threatening illness. BED is the most common eating disorder diagnosis in the United States.
Diagnostic Criteria
Recurrent episodes of binge eating. An episode of binge eating is characterized by both of the following:
What is Controversial About This:
Binge Eating Disorder is the most common eating disorder in America, and it wasn’t recognized in the DSM until Edition V. This has created a belief amongst many that it is not a legitimate eating disorder, and that is false and dangerous!
Orthorexia is currently not formally recognized in the DSM, but it is an eating disorder that has been recognized widely since 1998. It is an eating disorder in which the person afflicted has an obsession with self-perceived ‘healthy eating.’ There is often an extreme fixation on the purity and perceived quality of food. Often, people with orthorexia become so fixated on their concept of ‘healthy-eating’ that it damages their own well-being (e.g. not being able to get other things done due to constant rumination, not eating at certain events because of kinds of food present)
Common Symptoms and Warning Signs of Orthorexia:
What is Controversial About This:
Orthorexia is not officially defined in the DSM. It’s often used colloquially as an obsession with health to the point where it starts to become unhealthy. This type of mindset can be present with any eating disorder.
This category applies to presentations of eating/feeding disorders in which symptoms 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 disorders diagnostic class. The other specified feeding or eating disorder category is used in situations in which the clinician chooses to communicate the specific reason that the presentation does not meet the criteria for any specific feeding and eating disorder. This is done by recording “other specified feeding or eating disorder” followed by the specific reason (e.g., “bulimia nervosa of low frequency”).
Examples of presentations that can be specified using the “other specified” designation include the following:
Atypical anorexia nervosa: All of the criteria for anorexia nervosa are met, except that despite significant weight loss, the individual’s weight is within or above the normal range.
Bulimia nervosa (of low frequency and/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.
Binge-eating disorder (of low frequency and/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 for less than 3 months.
Purging disorder: Recurrent purging behavior to influence weight or shape (e.g., self-induced vomiting; misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or other medications) in the absence of binge eating.
Night eating syndrome: Recurrent episodes of night eating, as manifested by eating after awakening from sleep or by excessive food consumption after the evening meal. There is awareness and recall of the eating. The night eating is not better explained by external influences such as changes in the individual’s sleep-wake cycle or by local social norms. The night eating causes significant distress and/or impairment in functioning. The disordered pattern of eating is not better explained by binge-eating disorder or another mental disorder, including substance use, and is not attributable to another medical disorder or to an effect of medication.
What is Controversial About This:
PICA is a well-defined disorder and its definition is widely accepted.
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 disorders diagnostic class. The unspecified feeding and eating disorder category is used in situations in which the clinician chooses not to specify the reason that the criteria are not met for a specific feeding and eating disorder, and includes presentations in which there is insufficient information to make a more specific diagnosis (e.g., in emergency room settings).
What is Controversial About This:
This category is not well defined, and thus, is not useful for treatment purposes.
The traditional eating disorder categories too rigidly define what is and is not a certain eating disorder, leaving a lot of disorders lumped together in ambiguous groupings (ie., OSFED). Many people who struggle with disordered eating may experience a variety of symptoms and eating disorder behaviors throughout the scope of their illness. People often float from one category to another over time.
Diagnostic Criteria
What is Controversial About This:
ARFID is an eating disorder characterized by a restriction in the amount and/or types of food someone consumes due to fears surrounding the food itself. This may manifest as an avoidance of food due to sensory characteristics of the food (e.g. texture, color), fear of consequences of eating food (e.g. becoming violently ill), or an apparent lack of interest for eating the food(s). This life-threatening illness can drastically affect proper development and growth in children, and in the case of adults, may result in drastic weight loss.
Diagnostic Criteria
An eating or feeding disturbance (e.g., apparent lack of interest in eating or food; avoidance based on sensory characteristics of food (e.g. texture, color); concern about aversive consequences of eating (e.g. fear of becoming violently ill)) as manifested by persistent failure to meet appropriate nutritional and/or energy needs associated with one (or more) of the following:
What’s Controversial About This:
The addition of ARFID into the DSM is a positive change as it recognizes a large portion of the population of people struggling with eating disorders that deserve a different approach to treatment that focuses on the sensory aversion to food.
Bulimia is an eating disorder characterized by a cycle of behaviors in which one binge eats and then uses compensatory behaviors, such as self-induced vomiting, excessive exercise, and/or the use of laxatives in an attempt to compensate for the binge behaviors. Like all eating disorders, Bulimia is a life-threatening illness. The use of binge and purge behaviors can be extremely harmful on the body for a variety of reasons.
Diagnostic Criteria
What is Controversial About This:
ALL purging behavior, especially self-induced vomiting, is dangerous and a sign that you deserve treatment and support. You should not have to engage in purging behaviors for three months before it’s considered a problem.
The differentiation between Anorexia Binge-Purge subtype and Bulimia is ambiguous and not clearly defined and the behaviors and thought patterns are essentially the same.
Binge Eating Disorder is an eating disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of binge eating, a feeling of loss of control during the binges, and often, feelings of shame, guilt and/or disgust following the bingeing behavior. It is a life-threatening illness. BED is the most common eating disorder diagnosis in the United States.
Diagnostic Criteria
Recurrent episodes of binge eating. An episode of binge eating is characterized by both of the following:
What is Controversial About This:
Binge Eating Disorder is the most common eating disorder in America, and it wasn’t recognized in the DSM until Edition V. This has created a belief amongst many that it is not a legitimate eating disorder, and that is false and dangerous!
Orthorexia is currently not formally recognized in the DSM, but it is an eating disorder that has been recognized widely since 1998. It is an eating disorder in which the person afflicted has an obsession with self-perceived ‘healthy eating.’ There is often an extreme fixation on the purity and perceived quality of food. Often, people with orthorexia become so fixated on their concept of ‘healthy-eating’ that it damages their own well-being (e.g. not being able to get other things done due to constant rumination, not eating at certain events because of kinds of food present)
Common Symptoms and Warning Signs of Orthorexia:
What is Controversial About This:
Orthorexia is not officially defined in the DSM. It’s often used colloquially as an obsession with health to the point where it starts to become unhealthy. This type of mindset can be present with any eating disorder.
This category applies to presentations of eating/feeding disorders in which symptoms 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 disorders diagnostic class. The other specified feeding or eating disorder category is used in situations in which the clinician chooses to communicate the specific reason that the presentation does not meet the criteria for any specific feeding and eating disorder. This is done by recording “other specified feeding or eating disorder” followed by the specific reason (e.g., “bulimia nervosa of low frequency”).
Examples of presentations that can be specified using the “other specified” designation include the following:
Atypical anorexia nervosa: All of the criteria for anorexia nervosa are met, except that despite significant weight loss, the individual’s weight is within or above the normal range.
Bulimia nervosa (of low frequency and/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.
Binge-eating disorder (of low frequency and/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 for less than 3 months.
Purging disorder: Recurrent purging behavior to influence weight or shape (e.g., self-induced vomiting; misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or other medications) in the absence of binge eating.
Night eating syndrome: Recurrent episodes of night eating, as manifested by eating after awakening from sleep or by excessive food consumption after the evening meal. There is awareness and recall of the eating. The night eating is not better explained by external influences such as changes in the individual’s sleep-wake cycle or by local social norms. The night eating causes significant distress and/or impairment in functioning. The disordered pattern of eating is not better explained by binge-eating disorder or another mental disorder, including substance use, and is not attributable to another medical disorder or to an effect of medication.
What is Controversial About This:
PICA is a well-defined disorder and its definition is widely accepted.
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 disorders diagnostic class. The unspecified feeding and eating disorder category is used in situations in which the clinician chooses not to specify the reason that the criteria are not met for a specific feeding and eating disorder, and includes presentations in which there is insufficient information to make a more specific diagnosis (e.g., in emergency room settings).
What is Controversial About This:
This category is not well defined, and thus, is not useful for treatment purposes.
The traditional eating disorder categories too rigidly define what is and is not a certain eating disorder, leaving a lot of disorders lumped together in ambiguous groupings (ie., OSFED). Many people who struggle with disordered eating may experience a variety of symptoms and eating disorder behaviors throughout the scope of their illness. People often float from one category to another over time.
The traditional eating disorder categories too rigidly define what is and is not a certain eating disorder, leaving a lot of disorders lumped together in ambiguous groupings (ie., OSFED). Many people who struggle with disordered eating may experience a variety of symptoms and eating disorder behaviors throughout the scope of their illness. People often float from one category to another over time.
ARFID is an eating disorder characterized by a restriction in the amount and/or types of food someone consumes due to fears surrounding the food itself. This may manifest as an avoidance of food due to sensory characteristics of the food (e.g. texture, color), fear of consequences of eating food (e.g. becoming violently ill), or an apparent lack of interest for eating the food(s). This life-threatening illness can drastically affect proper development and growth in children, and in the case of adults, may result in drastic weight loss.
Diagnostic Criteria
An eating or feeding disturbance (e.g., apparent lack of interest in eating or food; avoidance based on sensory characteristics of food (e.g. texture, color); concern about aversive consequences of eating (e.g. fear of becoming violently ill)) as manifested by persistent failure to meet appropriate nutritional and/or energy needs associated with one (or more) of the following:
What’s Controversial About This:
The addition of ARFID into the DSM is a positive change as it recognizes a large portion of the population of people struggling with eating disorders that deserve a different approach to treatment that focuses on the sensory aversion to food.
Bulimia is an eating disorder characterized by a cycle of behaviors in which one binge eats and then uses compensatory behaviors, such as self-induced vomiting, excessive exercise, and/or the use of laxatives in an attempt to compensate for the binge behaviors. Like all eating disorders, Bulimia is a life-threatening illness. The use of binge and purge behaviors can be extremely harmful on the body for a variety of reasons.
Diagnostic Criteria
What is Controversial About This:
ALL purging behavior, especially self-induced vomiting, is dangerous and a sign that you deserve treatment and support. You should not have to engage in purging behaviors for three months before it’s considered a problem.
The differentiation between Anorexia Binge-Purge subtype and Bulimia is ambiguous and not clearly defined and the behaviors and thought patterns are essentially the same.
Binge Eating Disorder is an eating disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of binge eating, a feeling of loss of control during the binges, and often, feelings of shame, guilt and/or disgust following the bingeing behavior. It is a life-threatening illness. BED is the most common eating disorder diagnosis in the United States.
Diagnostic Criteria
Recurrent episodes of binge eating. An episode of binge eating is characterized by both of the following:
What is Controversial About This:
Binge Eating Disorder is the most common eating disorder in America, and it wasn’t recognized in the DSM until Edition V. This has created a belief amongst many that it is not a legitimate eating disorder, and that is false and dangerous!
Orthorexia is currently not formally recognized in the DSM, but it is an eating disorder that has been recognized widely since 1998. It is an eating disorder in which the person afflicted has an obsession with self-perceived ‘healthy eating.’ There is often an extreme fixation on the purity and perceived quality of food. Often, people with orthorexia become so fixated on their concept of ‘healthy-eating’ that it damages their own well-being (e.g. not being able to get other things done due to constant rumination, not eating at certain events because of kinds of food present)
Common Symptoms and Warning Signs of Orthorexia:
What is Controversial About This:
Orthorexia is not officially defined in the DSM. It’s often used colloquially as an obsession with health to the point where it starts to become unhealthy. This type of mindset can be present with any eating disorder.
This category applies to presentations of eating/feeding disorders in which symptoms 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 disorders diagnostic class. The other specified feeding or eating disorder category is used in situations in which the clinician chooses to communicate the specific reason that the presentation does not meet the criteria for any specific feeding and eating disorder. This is done by recording “other specified feeding or eating disorder” followed by the specific reason (e.g., “bulimia nervosa of low frequency”).
Examples of presentations that can be specified using the “other specified” designation include the following:
Atypical anorexia nervosa: All of the criteria for anorexia nervosa are met, except that despite significant weight loss, the individual’s weight is within or above the normal range.
Bulimia nervosa (of low frequency and/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.
Binge-eating disorder (of low frequency and/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 for less than 3 months.
Purging disorder: Recurrent purging behavior to influence weight or shape (e.g., self-induced vomiting; misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or other medications) in the absence of binge eating.
Night eating syndrome: Recurrent episodes of night eating, as manifested by eating after awakening from sleep or by excessive food consumption after the evening meal. There is awareness and recall of the eating. The night eating is not better explained by external influences such as changes in the individual’s sleep-wake cycle or by local social norms. The night eating causes significant distress and/or impairment in functioning. The disordered pattern of eating is not better explained by binge-eating disorder or another mental disorder, including substance use, and is not attributable to another medical disorder or to an effect of medication.
What is Controversial About This:
PICA is a well-defined disorder and its definition is widely accepted.
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 disorders diagnostic class. The unspecified feeding and eating disorder category is used in situations in which the clinician chooses not to specify the reason that the criteria are not met for a specific feeding and eating disorder, and includes presentations in which there is insufficient information to make a more specific diagnosis (e.g., in emergency room settings).
What is Controversial About This:
This category is not well defined, and thus, is not useful for treatment purposes.
The traditional eating disorder categories too rigidly define what is and is not a certain eating disorder, leaving a lot of disorders lumped together in ambiguous groupings (ie., OSFED). Many people who struggle with disordered eating may experience a variety of symptoms and eating disorder behaviors throughout the scope of their illness. People often float from one category to another over time.
Diagnostic Criteria
What is Controversial About This:
ARFID is an eating disorder characterized by a restriction in the amount and/or types of food someone consumes due to fears surrounding the food itself. This may manifest as an avoidance of food due to sensory characteristics of the food (e.g. texture, color), fear of consequences of eating food (e.g. becoming violently ill), or an apparent lack of interest for eating the food(s). This life-threatening illness can drastically affect proper development and growth in children, and in the case of adults, may result in drastic weight loss.
Diagnostic Criteria
An eating or feeding disturbance (e.g., apparent lack of interest in eating or food; avoidance based on sensory characteristics of food (e.g. texture, color); concern about aversive consequences of eating (e.g. fear of becoming violently ill)) as manifested by persistent failure to meet appropriate nutritional and/or energy needs associated with one (or more) of the following:
What’s Controversial About This:
The addition of ARFID into the DSM is a positive change as it recognizes a large portion of the population of people struggling with eating disorders that deserve a different approach to treatment that focuses on the sensory aversion to food.
Bulimia is an eating disorder characterized by a cycle of behaviors in which one binge eats and then uses compensatory behaviors, such as self-induced vomiting, excessive exercise, and/or the use of laxatives in an attempt to compensate for the binge behaviors. Like all eating disorders, Bulimia is a life-threatening illness. The use of binge and purge behaviors can be extremely harmful on the body for a variety of reasons.
Diagnostic Criteria
What is Controversial About This:
ALL purging behavior, especially self-induced vomiting, is dangerous and a sign that you deserve treatment and support. You should not have to engage in purging behaviors for three months before it’s considered a problem.
The differentiation between Anorexia Binge-Purge subtype and Bulimia is ambiguous and not clearly defined and the behaviors and thought patterns are essentially the same.
Binge Eating Disorder is an eating disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of binge eating, a feeling of loss of control during the binges, and often, feelings of shame, guilt and/or disgust following the bingeing behavior. It is a life-threatening illness. BED is the most common eating disorder diagnosis in the United States.
Diagnostic Criteria
Recurrent episodes of binge eating. An episode of binge eating is characterized by both of the following:
What is Controversial About This:
Binge Eating Disorder is the most common eating disorder in America, and it wasn’t recognized in the DSM until Edition V. This has created a belief amongst many that it is not a legitimate eating disorder, and that is false and dangerous!
Orthorexia is currently not formally recognized in the DSM, but it is an eating disorder that has been recognized widely since 1998. It is an eating disorder in which the person afflicted has an obsession with self-perceived ‘healthy eating.’ There is often an extreme fixation on the purity and perceived quality of food. Often, people with orthorexia become so fixated on their concept of ‘healthy-eating’ that it damages their own well-being (e.g. not being able to get other things done due to constant rumination, not eating at certain events because of kinds of food present)
Common Symptoms and Warning Signs of Orthorexia:
What is Controversial About This:
Orthorexia is not officially defined in the DSM. It’s often used colloquially as an obsession with health to the point where it starts to become unhealthy. This type of mindset can be present with any eating disorder.
This category applies to presentations of eating/feeding disorders in which symptoms 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 disorders diagnostic class. The other specified feeding or eating disorder category is used in situations in which the clinician chooses to communicate the specific reason that the presentation does not meet the criteria for any specific feeding and eating disorder. This is done by recording “other specified feeding or eating disorder” followed by the specific reason (e.g., “bulimia nervosa of low frequency”).
Examples of presentations that can be specified using the “other specified” designation include the following:
Atypical anorexia nervosa: All of the criteria for anorexia nervosa are met, except that despite significant weight loss, the individual’s weight is within or above the normal range.
Bulimia nervosa (of low frequency and/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.
Binge-eating disorder (of low frequency and/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 for less than 3 months.
Purging disorder: Recurrent purging behavior to influence weight or shape (e.g., self-induced vomiting; misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or other medications) in the absence of binge eating.
Night eating syndrome: Recurrent episodes of night eating, as manifested by eating after awakening from sleep or by excessive food consumption after the evening meal. There is awareness and recall of the eating. The night eating is not better explained by external influences such as changes in the individual’s sleep-wake cycle or by local social norms. The night eating causes significant distress and/or impairment in functioning. The disordered pattern of eating is not better explained by binge-eating disorder or another mental disorder, including substance use, and is not attributable to another medical disorder or to an effect of medication.
What is Controversial About This:
PICA is a well-defined disorder and its definition is widely accepted.
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 disorders diagnostic class. The unspecified feeding and eating disorder category is used in situations in which the clinician chooses not to specify the reason that the criteria are not met for a specific feeding and eating disorder, and includes presentations in which there is insufficient information to make a more specific diagnosis (e.g., in emergency room settings).
What is Controversial About This:
This category is not well defined, and thus, is not useful for treatment purposes.
The traditional eating disorder categories too rigidly define what is and is not a certain eating disorder, leaving a lot of disorders lumped together in ambiguous groupings (ie., OSFED). Many people who struggle with disordered eating may experience a variety of symptoms and eating disorder behaviors throughout the scope of their illness. People often float from one category to another over time.
The traditional eating disorder categories too rigidly define what is and is not a certain eating disorder, leaving a lot of disorders lumped together in ambiguous groupings (ie., OSFED). Many people who struggle with disordered eating may experience a variety of symptoms and eating disorder behaviors throughout the scope of their illness. People often float from one category to another over time.
ARFID is an eating disorder characterized by a restriction in the amount and/or types of food someone consumes due to fears surrounding the food itself. This may manifest as an avoidance of food due to sensory characteristics of the food (e.g. texture, color), fear of consequences of eating food (e.g. becoming violently ill), or an apparent lack of interest for eating the food(s). This life-threatening illness can drastically affect proper development and growth in children, and in the case of adults, may result in drastic weight loss.
Diagnostic Criteria
An eating or feeding disturbance (e.g., apparent lack of interest in eating or food; avoidance based on sensory characteristics of food (e.g. texture, color); concern about aversive consequences of eating (e.g. fear of becoming violently ill)) as manifested by persistent failure to meet appropriate nutritional and/or energy needs associated with one (or more) of the following:
What’s Controversial About This:
The addition of ARFID into the DSM is a positive change as it recognizes a large portion of the population of people struggling with eating disorders that deserve a different approach to treatment that focuses on the sensory aversion to food.
Bulimia is an eating disorder characterized by a cycle of behaviors in which one binge eats and then uses compensatory behaviors, such as self-induced vomiting, excessive exercise, and/or the use of laxatives in an attempt to compensate for the binge behaviors. Like all eating disorders, Bulimia is a life-threatening illness. The use of binge and purge behaviors can be extremely harmful on the body for a variety of reasons.
Diagnostic Criteria
What is Controversial About This:
ALL purging behavior, especially self-induced vomiting, is dangerous and a sign that you deserve treatment and support. You should not have to engage in purging behaviors for three months before it’s considered a problem.
The differentiation between Anorexia Binge-Purge subtype and Bulimia is ambiguous and not clearly defined and the behaviors and thought patterns are essentially the same.
Binge Eating Disorder is an eating disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of binge eating, a feeling of loss of control during the binges, and often, feelings of shame, guilt and/or disgust following the bingeing behavior. It is a life-threatening illness. BED is the most common eating disorder diagnosis in the United States.
Diagnostic Criteria
Recurrent episodes of binge eating. An episode of binge eating is characterized by both of the following:
What is Controversial About This:
Binge Eating Disorder is the most common eating disorder in America, and it wasn’t recognized in the DSM until Edition V. This has created a belief amongst many that it is not a legitimate eating disorder, and that is false and dangerous!
Orthorexia is currently not formally recognized in the DSM, but it is an eating disorder that has been recognized widely since 1998. It is an eating disorder in which the person afflicted has an obsession with self-perceived ‘healthy eating.’ There is often an extreme fixation on the purity and perceived quality of food. Often, people with orthorexia become so fixated on their concept of ‘healthy-eating’ that it damages their own well-being (e.g. not being able to get other things done due to constant rumination, not eating at certain events because of kinds of food present)
Common Symptoms and Warning Signs of Orthorexia:
What is Controversial About This:
Orthorexia is not officially defined in the DSM. It’s often used colloquially as an obsession with health to the point where it starts to become unhealthy. This type of mindset can be present with any eating disorder.
This category applies to presentations of eating/feeding disorders in which symptoms 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 disorders diagnostic class. The other specified feeding or eating disorder category is used in situations in which the clinician chooses to communicate the specific reason that the presentation does not meet the criteria for any specific feeding and eating disorder. This is done by recording “other specified feeding or eating disorder” followed by the specific reason (e.g., “bulimia nervosa of low frequency”).
Examples of presentations that can be specified using the “other specified” designation include the following:
Atypical anorexia nervosa: All of the criteria for anorexia nervosa are met, except that despite significant weight loss, the individual’s weight is within or above the normal range.
Bulimia nervosa (of low frequency and/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.
Binge-eating disorder (of low frequency and/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 for less than 3 months.
Purging disorder: Recurrent purging behavior to influence weight or shape (e.g., self-induced vomiting; misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or other medications) in the absence of binge eating.
Night eating syndrome: Recurrent episodes of night eating, as manifested by eating after awakening from sleep or by excessive food consumption after the evening meal. There is awareness and recall of the eating. The night eating is not better explained by external influences such as changes in the individual’s sleep-wake cycle or by local social norms. The night eating causes significant distress and/or impairment in functioning. The disordered pattern of eating is not better explained by binge-eating disorder or another mental disorder, including substance use, and is not attributable to another medical disorder or to an effect of medication.
What is Controversial About This:
PICA is a well-defined disorder and its definition is widely accepted.
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 disorders diagnostic class. The unspecified feeding and eating disorder category is used in situations in which the clinician chooses not to specify the reason that the criteria are not met for a specific feeding and eating disorder, and includes presentations in which there is insufficient information to make a more specific diagnosis (e.g., in emergency room settings).
What is Controversial About This:
This category is not well defined, and thus, is not useful for treatment purposes.
The traditional eating disorder categories too rigidly define what is and is not a certain eating disorder, leaving a lot of disorders lumped together in ambiguous groupings (ie., OSFED). Many people who struggle with disordered eating may experience a variety of symptoms and eating disorder behaviors throughout the scope of their illness. People often float from one category to another over time.
Diagnostic Criteria
What is Controversial About This:
ARFID is an eating disorder characterized by a restriction in the amount and/or types of food someone consumes due to fears surrounding the food itself. This may manifest as an avoidance of food due to sensory characteristics of the food (e.g. texture, color), fear of consequences of eating food (e.g. becoming violently ill), or an apparent lack of interest for eating the food(s). This life-threatening illness can drastically affect proper development and growth in children, and in the case of adults, may result in drastic weight loss.
Diagnostic Criteria
An eating or feeding disturbance (e.g., apparent lack of interest in eating or food; avoidance based on sensory characteristics of food (e.g. texture, color); concern about aversive consequences of eating (e.g. fear of becoming violently ill)) as manifested by persistent failure to meet appropriate nutritional and/or energy needs associated with one (or more) of the following:
What’s Controversial About This:
The addition of ARFID into the DSM is a positive change as it recognizes a large portion of the population of people struggling with eating disorders that deserve a different approach to treatment that focuses on the sensory aversion to food.
Bulimia is an eating disorder characterized by a cycle of behaviors in which one binge eats and then uses compensatory behaviors, such as self-induced vomiting, excessive exercise, and/or the use of laxatives in an attempt to compensate for the binge behaviors. Like all eating disorders, Bulimia is a life-threatening illness. The use of binge and purge behaviors can be extremely harmful on the body for a variety of reasons.
Diagnostic Criteria
What is Controversial About This:
ALL purging behavior, especially self-induced vomiting, is dangerous and a sign that you deserve treatment and support. You should not have to engage in purging behaviors for three months before it’s considered a problem.
The differentiation between Anorexia Binge-Purge subtype and Bulimia is ambiguous and not clearly defined and the behaviors and thought patterns are essentially the same.
Binge Eating Disorder is an eating disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of binge eating, a feeling of loss of control during the binges, and often, feelings of shame, guilt and/or disgust following the bingeing behavior. It is a life-threatening illness. BED is the most common eating disorder diagnosis in the United States.
Diagnostic Criteria
Recurrent episodes of binge eating. An episode of binge eating is characterized by both of the following:
What is Controversial About This:
Binge Eating Disorder is the most common eating disorder in America, and it wasn’t recognized in the DSM until Edition V. This has created a belief amongst many that it is not a legitimate eating disorder, and that is false and dangerous!
Orthorexia is currently not formally recognized in the DSM, but it is an eating disorder that has been recognized widely since 1998. It is an eating disorder in which the person afflicted has an obsession with self-perceived ‘healthy eating.’ There is often an extreme fixation on the purity and perceived quality of food. Often, people with orthorexia become so fixated on their concept of ‘healthy-eating’ that it damages their own well-being (e.g. not being able to get other things done due to constant rumination, not eating at certain events because of kinds of food present)
Common Symptoms and Warning Signs of Orthorexia:
What is Controversial About This:
Orthorexia is not officially defined in the DSM. It’s often used colloquially as an obsession with health to the point where it starts to become unhealthy. This type of mindset can be present with any eating disorder.
This category applies to presentations of eating/feeding disorders in which symptoms 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 disorders diagnostic class. The other specified feeding or eating disorder category is used in situations in which the clinician chooses to communicate the specific reason that the presentation does not meet the criteria for any specific feeding and eating disorder. This is done by recording “other specified feeding or eating disorder” followed by the specific reason (e.g., “bulimia nervosa of low frequency”).
Examples of presentations that can be specified using the “other specified” designation include the following:
Atypical anorexia nervosa: All of the criteria for anorexia nervosa are met, except that despite significant weight loss, the individual’s weight is within or above the normal range.
Bulimia nervosa (of low frequency and/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.
Binge-eating disorder (of low frequency and/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 for less than 3 months.
Purging disorder: Recurrent purging behavior to influence weight or shape (e.g., self-induced vomiting; misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or other medications) in the absence of binge eating.
Night eating syndrome: Recurrent episodes of night eating, as manifested by eating after awakening from sleep or by excessive food consumption after the evening meal. There is awareness and recall of the eating. The night eating is not better explained by external influences such as changes in the individual’s sleep-wake cycle or by local social norms. The night eating causes significant distress and/or impairment in functioning. The disordered pattern of eating is not better explained by binge-eating disorder or another mental disorder, including substance use, and is not attributable to another medical disorder or to an effect of medication.
What is Controversial About This:
PICA is a well-defined disorder and its definition is widely accepted.
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 disorders diagnostic class. The unspecified feeding and eating disorder category is used in situations in which the clinician chooses not to specify the reason that the criteria are not met for a specific feeding and eating disorder, and includes presentations in which there is insufficient information to make a more specific diagnosis (e.g., in emergency room settings).
What is Controversial About This:
This category is not well defined, and thus, is not useful for treatment purposes.
The traditional eating disorder categories too rigidly define what is and is not a certain eating disorder, leaving a lot of disorders lumped together in ambiguous groupings (ie., OSFED). Many people who struggle with disordered eating may experience a variety of symptoms and eating disorder behaviors throughout the scope of their illness. People often float from one category to another over time.
The traditional eating disorder categories too rigidly define what is and is not a certain eating disorder, leaving a lot of disorders lumped together in ambiguous groupings (ie., OSFED). Many people who struggle with disordered eating may experience a variety of symptoms and eating disorder behaviors throughout the scope of their illness. People often float from one category to another over time.
Bulimia is an eating disorder characterized by a cycle of behaviors in which one binge eats and then uses compensatory behaviors, such as self-induced vomiting, excessive exercise, and/or the use of laxatives in an attempt to compensate for the binge behaviors. Like all eating disorders, Bulimia is a life-threatening illness. The use of binge and purge behaviors can be extremely harmful on the body for a variety of reasons.
Diagnostic Criteria
What is Controversial About This:
ALL purging behavior, especially self-induced vomiting, is dangerous and a sign that you deserve treatment and support. You should not have to engage in purging behaviors for three months before it’s considered a problem.
The differentiation between Anorexia Binge-Purge subtype and Bulimia is ambiguous and not clearly defined and the behaviors and thought patterns are essentially the same.
Binge Eating Disorder is an eating disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of binge eating, a feeling of loss of control during the binges, and often, feelings of shame, guilt and/or disgust following the bingeing behavior. It is a life-threatening illness. BED is the most common eating disorder diagnosis in the United States.
Diagnostic Criteria
Recurrent episodes of binge eating. An episode of binge eating is characterized by both of the following:
What is Controversial About This:
Binge Eating Disorder is the most common eating disorder in America, and it wasn’t recognized in the DSM until Edition V. This has created a belief amongst many that it is not a legitimate eating disorder, and that is false and dangerous!
Orthorexia is currently not formally recognized in the DSM, but it is an eating disorder that has been recognized widely since 1998. It is an eating disorder in which the person afflicted has an obsession with self-perceived ‘healthy eating.’ There is often an extreme fixation on the purity and perceived quality of food. Often, people with orthorexia become so fixated on their concept of ‘healthy-eating’ that it damages their own well-being (e.g. not being able to get other things done due to constant rumination, not eating at certain events because of kinds of food present)
Common Symptoms and Warning Signs of Orthorexia:
What is Controversial About This:
Orthorexia is not officially defined in the DSM. It’s often used colloquially as an obsession with health to the point where it starts to become unhealthy. This type of mindset can be present with any eating disorder.
This category applies to presentations of eating/feeding disorders in which symptoms 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 disorders diagnostic class. The other specified feeding or eating disorder category is used in situations in which the clinician chooses to communicate the specific reason that the presentation does not meet the criteria for any specific feeding and eating disorder. This is done by recording “other specified feeding or eating disorder” followed by the specific reason (e.g., “bulimia nervosa of low frequency”).
Examples of presentations that can be specified using the “other specified” designation include the following:
Atypical anorexia nervosa: All of the criteria for anorexia nervosa are met, except that despite significant weight loss, the individual’s weight is within or above the normal range.
Bulimia nervosa (of low frequency and/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.
Binge-eating disorder (of low frequency and/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 for less than 3 months.
Purging disorder: Recurrent purging behavior to influence weight or shape (e.g., self-induced vomiting; misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or other medications) in the absence of binge eating.
Night eating syndrome: Recurrent episodes of night eating, as manifested by eating after awakening from sleep or by excessive food consumption after the evening meal. There is awareness and recall of the eating. The night eating is not better explained by external influences such as changes in the individual’s sleep-wake cycle or by local social norms. The night eating causes significant distress and/or impairment in functioning. The disordered pattern of eating is not better explained by binge-eating disorder or another mental disorder, including substance use, and is not attributable to another medical disorder or to an effect of medication.
What is Controversial About This:
PICA is a well-defined disorder and its definition is widely accepted.
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 disorders diagnostic class. The unspecified feeding and eating disorder category is used in situations in which the clinician chooses not to specify the reason that the criteria are not met for a specific feeding and eating disorder, and includes presentations in which there is insufficient information to make a more specific diagnosis (e.g., in emergency room settings).
What is Controversial About This:
This category is not well defined, and thus, is not useful for treatment purposes.
The traditional eating disorder categories too rigidly define what is and is not a certain eating disorder, leaving a lot of disorders lumped together in ambiguous groupings (ie., OSFED). Many people who struggle with disordered eating may experience a variety of symptoms and eating disorder behaviors throughout the scope of their illness. People often float from one category to another over time.
ARFID is an eating disorder characterized by a restriction in the amount and/or types of food someone consumes due to fears surrounding the food itself. This may manifest as an avoidance of food due to sensory characteristics of the food (e.g. texture, color), fear of consequences of eating food (e.g. becoming violently ill), or an apparent lack of interest for eating the food(s). This life-threatening illness can drastically affect proper development and growth in children, and in the case of adults, may result in drastic weight loss.
Diagnostic Criteria
An eating or feeding disturbance (e.g., apparent lack of interest in eating or food; avoidance based on sensory characteristics of food (e.g. texture, color); concern about aversive consequences of eating (e.g. fear of becoming violently ill)) as manifested by persistent failure to meet appropriate nutritional and/or energy needs associated with one (or more) of the following:
What’s Controversial About This:
The addition of ARFID into the DSM is a positive change as it recognizes a large portion of the population of people struggling with eating disorders that deserve a different approach to treatment that focuses on the sensory aversion to food.
Bulimia is an eating disorder characterized by a cycle of behaviors in which one binge eats and then uses compensatory behaviors, such as self-induced vomiting, excessive exercise, and/or the use of laxatives in an attempt to compensate for the binge behaviors. Like all eating disorders, Bulimia is a life-threatening illness. The use of binge and purge behaviors can be extremely harmful on the body for a variety of reasons.
Diagnostic Criteria
What is Controversial About This:
ALL purging behavior, especially self-induced vomiting, is dangerous and a sign that you deserve treatment and support. You should not have to engage in purging behaviors for three months before it’s considered a problem.
The differentiation between Anorexia Binge-Purge subtype and Bulimia is ambiguous and not clearly defined and the behaviors and thought patterns are essentially the same.
Binge Eating Disorder is an eating disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of binge eating, a feeling of loss of control during the binges, and often, feelings of shame, guilt and/or disgust following the bingeing behavior. It is a life-threatening illness. BED is the most common eating disorder diagnosis in the United States.
Diagnostic Criteria
Recurrent episodes of binge eating. An episode of binge eating is characterized by both of the following:
What is Controversial About This:
Binge Eating Disorder is the most common eating disorder in America, and it wasn’t recognized in the DSM until Edition V. This has created a belief amongst many that it is not a legitimate eating disorder, and that is false and dangerous!
Orthorexia is currently not formally recognized in the DSM, but it is an eating disorder that has been recognized widely since 1998. It is an eating disorder in which the person afflicted has an obsession with self-perceived ‘healthy eating.’ There is often an extreme fixation on the purity and perceived quality of food. Often, people with orthorexia become so fixated on their concept of ‘healthy-eating’ that it damages their own well-being (e.g. not being able to get other things done due to constant rumination, not eating at certain events because of kinds of food present)
Common Symptoms and Warning Signs of Orthorexia:
What is Controversial About This:
Orthorexia is not officially defined in the DSM. It’s often used colloquially as an obsession with health to the point where it starts to become unhealthy. This type of mindset can be present with any eating disorder.
This category applies to presentations of eating/feeding disorders in which symptoms 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 disorders diagnostic class. The other specified feeding or eating disorder category is used in situations in which the clinician chooses to communicate the specific reason that the presentation does not meet the criteria for any specific feeding and eating disorder. This is done by recording “other specified feeding or eating disorder” followed by the specific reason (e.g., “bulimia nervosa of low frequency”).
Examples of presentations that can be specified using the “other specified” designation include the following:
Atypical anorexia nervosa: All of the criteria for anorexia nervosa are met, except that despite significant weight loss, the individual’s weight is within or above the normal range.
Bulimia nervosa (of low frequency and/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.
Binge-eating disorder (of low frequency and/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 for less than 3 months.
Purging disorder: Recurrent purging behavior to influence weight or shape (e.g., self-induced vomiting; misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or other medications) in the absence of binge eating.
Night eating syndrome: Recurrent episodes of night eating, as manifested by eating after awakening from sleep or by excessive food consumption after the evening meal. There is awareness and recall of the eating. The night eating is not better explained by external influences such as changes in the individual’s sleep-wake cycle or by local social norms. The night eating causes significant distress and/or impairment in functioning. The disordered pattern of eating is not better explained by binge-eating disorder or another mental disorder, including substance use, and is not attributable to another medical disorder or to an effect of medication.
What is Controversial About This:
PICA is a well-defined disorder and its definition is widely accepted.
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 disorders diagnostic class. The unspecified feeding and eating disorder category is used in situations in which the clinician chooses not to specify the reason that the criteria are not met for a specific feeding and eating disorder, and includes presentations in which there is insufficient information to make a more specific diagnosis (e.g., in emergency room settings).
What is Controversial About This:
This category is not well defined, and thus, is not useful for treatment purposes.
The traditional eating disorder categories too rigidly define what is and is not a certain eating disorder, leaving a lot of disorders lumped together in ambiguous groupings (ie., OSFED). Many people who struggle with disordered eating may experience a variety of symptoms and eating disorder behaviors throughout the scope of their illness. People often float from one category to another over time.
Diagnostic Criteria
What is Controversial About This:
ARFID is an eating disorder characterized by a restriction in the amount and/or types of food someone consumes due to fears surrounding the food itself. This may manifest as an avoidance of food due to sensory characteristics of the food (e.g. texture, color), fear of consequences of eating food (e.g. becoming violently ill), or an apparent lack of interest for eating the food(s). This life-threatening illness can drastically affect proper development and growth in children, and in the case of adults, may result in drastic weight loss.
Diagnostic Criteria
An eating or feeding disturbance (e.g., apparent lack of interest in eating or food; avoidance based on sensory characteristics of food (e.g. texture, color); concern about aversive consequences of eating (e.g. fear of becoming violently ill)) as manifested by persistent failure to meet appropriate nutritional and/or energy needs associated with one (or more) of the following:
What’s Controversial About This:
The addition of ARFID into the DSM is a positive change as it recognizes a large portion of the population of people struggling with eating disorders that deserve a different approach to treatment that focuses on the sensory aversion to food.
Bulimia is an eating disorder characterized by a cycle of behaviors in which one binge eats and then uses compensatory behaviors, such as self-induced vomiting, excessive exercise, and/or the use of laxatives in an attempt to compensate for the binge behaviors. Like all eating disorders, Bulimia is a life-threatening illness. The use of binge and purge behaviors can be extremely harmful on the body for a variety of reasons.
Diagnostic Criteria
What is Controversial About This:
ALL purging behavior, especially self-induced vomiting, is dangerous and a sign that you deserve treatment and support. You should not have to engage in purging behaviors for three months before it’s considered a problem.
The differentiation between Anorexia Binge-Purge subtype and Bulimia is ambiguous and not clearly defined and the behaviors and thought patterns are essentially the same.
Binge Eating Disorder is an eating disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of binge eating, a feeling of loss of control during the binges, and often, feelings of shame, guilt and/or disgust following the bingeing behavior. It is a life-threatening illness. BED is the most common eating disorder diagnosis in the United States.
Diagnostic Criteria
Recurrent episodes of binge eating. An episode of binge eating is characterized by both of the following:
What is Controversial About This:
Binge Eating Disorder is the most common eating disorder in America, and it wasn’t recognized in the DSM until Edition V. This has created a belief amongst many that it is not a legitimate eating disorder, and that is false and dangerous!
Orthorexia is currently not formally recognized in the DSM, but it is an eating disorder that has been recognized widely since 1998. It is an eating disorder in which the person afflicted has an obsession with self-perceived ‘healthy eating.’ There is often an extreme fixation on the purity and perceived quality of food. Often, people with orthorexia become so fixated on their concept of ‘healthy-eating’ that it damages their own well-being (e.g. not being able to get other things done due to constant rumination, not eating at certain events because of kinds of food present)
Common Symptoms and Warning Signs of Orthorexia:
What is Controversial About This:
Orthorexia is not officially defined in the DSM. It’s often used colloquially as an obsession with health to the point where it starts to become unhealthy. This type of mindset can be present with any eating disorder.
This category applies to presentations of eating/feeding disorders in which symptoms 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 disorders diagnostic class. The other specified feeding or eating disorder category is used in situations in which the clinician chooses to communicate the specific reason that the presentation does not meet the criteria for any specific feeding and eating disorder. This is done by recording “other specified feeding or eating disorder” followed by the specific reason (e.g., “bulimia nervosa of low frequency”).
Examples of presentations that can be specified using the “other specified” designation include the following:
Atypical anorexia nervosa: All of the criteria for anorexia nervosa are met, except that despite significant weight loss, the individual’s weight is within or above the normal range.
Bulimia nervosa (of low frequency and/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.
Binge-eating disorder (of low frequency and/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 for less than 3 months.
Purging disorder: Recurrent purging behavior to influence weight or shape (e.g., self-induced vomiting; misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or other medications) in the absence of binge eating.
Night eating syndrome: Recurrent episodes of night eating, as manifested by eating after awakening from sleep or by excessive food consumption after the evening meal. There is awareness and recall of the eating. The night eating is not better explained by external influences such as changes in the individual’s sleep-wake cycle or by local social norms. The night eating causes significant distress and/or impairment in functioning. The disordered pattern of eating is not better explained by binge-eating disorder or another mental disorder, including substance use, and is not attributable to another medical disorder or to an effect of medication.
What is Controversial About This:
PICA is a well-defined disorder and its definition is widely accepted.
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 disorders diagnostic class. The unspecified feeding and eating disorder category is used in situations in which the clinician chooses not to specify the reason that the criteria are not met for a specific feeding and eating disorder, and includes presentations in which there is insufficient information to make a more specific diagnosis (e.g., in emergency room settings).
What is Controversial About This:
This category is not well defined, and thus, is not useful for treatment purposes.
The traditional eating disorder categories too rigidly define what is and is not a certain eating disorder, leaving a lot of disorders lumped together in ambiguous groupings (ie., OSFED). Many people who struggle with disordered eating may experience a variety of symptoms and eating disorder behaviors throughout the scope of their illness. People often float from one category to another over time.
The DSM is a highly debated and controversial topic and is widely regarded as not an accurate representation of what eating disorders are and can manifest. We here at the Joy Project believe it to be incredibly flawed, however we are presenting the diagnostic criteria for eating disorders as listed currently in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual-5th Edition (DSM-V, released in 2013) here for informational purposes. Please note that not every eating disordered individual fits neatly into one diagnostic category or another, and that is ok. In reality, few people fit precisely into one category. Eating Disorders and their diagnostic criteria are listed in alphabetical order for this post.
Anorexia Nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by deliberate restriction of energy intake relative to need, and in many people, distorted body image, and denial of severity of their behaviors. People with anorexia generally restrict the types and amounts of foods they eat, and may also exercise compulsively, purge, abuse laxatives/diuretics, and/or binge eat. You cannot tell if a person is struggling with anorexia by their bodily appearance. A person does not have to appear emaciated nor underweight to be struggling. This is a potentially life-threatening illness.
The traditional eating disorder categories too rigidly define what is and is not a certain eating disorder, leaving a lot of disorders lumped together in ambiguous groupings (ie., OSFED). Many people who struggle with disordered eating may experience a variety of symptoms and eating disorder behaviors throughout the scope of their illness. People often float from one category to another over time.
Binge Eating Disorder is an eating disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of binge eating, a feeling of loss of control during the binges, and often, feelings of shame, guilt and/or disgust following the bingeing behavior. It is a life-threatening illness. BED is the most common eating disorder diagnosis in the United States.
Diagnostic Criteria
Recurrent episodes of binge eating. An episode of binge eating is characterized by both of the following:
What is Controversial About This:
Binge Eating Disorder is the most common eating disorder in America, and it wasn’t recognized in the DSM until Edition V. This has created a belief amongst many that it is not a legitimate eating disorder, and that is false and dangerous!
Orthorexia is currently not formally recognized in the DSM, but it is an eating disorder that has been recognized widely since 1998. It is an eating disorder in which the person afflicted has an obsession with self-perceived ‘healthy eating.’ There is often an extreme fixation on the purity and perceived quality of food. Often, people with orthorexia become so fixated on their concept of ‘healthy-eating’ that it damages their own well-being (e.g. not being able to get other things done due to constant rumination, not eating at certain events because of kinds of food present)
Common Symptoms and Warning Signs of Orthorexia:
What is Controversial About This:
Orthorexia is not officially defined in the DSM. It’s often used colloquially as an obsession with health to the point where it starts to become unhealthy. This type of mindset can be present with any eating disorder.
This category applies to presentations of eating/feeding disorders in which symptoms 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 disorders diagnostic class. The other specified feeding or eating disorder category is used in situations in which the clinician chooses to communicate the specific reason that the presentation does not meet the criteria for any specific feeding and eating disorder. This is done by recording “other specified feeding or eating disorder” followed by the specific reason (e.g., “bulimia nervosa of low frequency”).
Examples of presentations that can be specified using the “other specified” designation include the following:
Atypical anorexia nervosa: All of the criteria for anorexia nervosa are met, except that despite significant weight loss, the individual’s weight is within or above the normal range.
Bulimia nervosa (of low frequency and/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.
Binge-eating disorder (of low frequency and/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 for less than 3 months.
Purging disorder: Recurrent purging behavior to influence weight or shape (e.g., self-induced vomiting; misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or other medications) in the absence of binge eating.
Night eating syndrome: Recurrent episodes of night eating, as manifested by eating after awakening from sleep or by excessive food consumption after the evening meal. There is awareness and recall of the eating. The night eating is not better explained by external influences such as changes in the individual’s sleep-wake cycle or by local social norms. The night eating causes significant distress and/or impairment in functioning. The disordered pattern of eating is not better explained by binge-eating disorder or another mental disorder, including substance use, and is not attributable to another medical disorder or to an effect of medication.
What is Controversial About This:
PICA is a well-defined disorder and its definition is widely accepted.
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 disorders diagnostic class. The unspecified feeding and eating disorder category is used in situations in which the clinician chooses not to specify the reason that the criteria are not met for a specific feeding and eating disorder, and includes presentations in which there is insufficient information to make a more specific diagnosis (e.g., in emergency room settings).
What is Controversial About This:
This category is not well defined, and thus, is not useful for treatment purposes.
The traditional eating disorder categories too rigidly define what is and is not a certain eating disorder, leaving a lot of disorders lumped together in ambiguous groupings (ie., OSFED). Many people who struggle with disordered eating may experience a variety of symptoms and eating disorder behaviors throughout the scope of their illness. People often float from one category to another over time.
Bulimia is an eating disorder characterized by a cycle of behaviors in which one binge eats and then uses compensatory behaviors, such as self-induced vomiting, excessive exercise, and/or the use of laxatives in an attempt to compensate for the binge behaviors. Like all eating disorders, Bulimia is a life-threatening illness. The use of binge and purge behaviors can be extremely harmful on the body for a variety of reasons.
Diagnostic Criteria
What is Controversial About This:
ALL purging behavior, especially self-induced vomiting, is dangerous and a sign that you deserve treatment and support. You should not have to engage in purging behaviors for three months before it’s considered a problem.
The differentiation between Anorexia Binge-Purge subtype and Bulimia is ambiguous and not clearly defined and the behaviors and thought patterns are essentially the same.
Binge Eating Disorder is an eating disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of binge eating, a feeling of loss of control during the binges, and often, feelings of shame, guilt and/or disgust following the bingeing behavior. It is a life-threatening illness. BED is the most common eating disorder diagnosis in the United States.
Diagnostic Criteria
Recurrent episodes of binge eating. An episode of binge eating is characterized by both of the following:
What is Controversial About This:
Binge Eating Disorder is the most common eating disorder in America, and it wasn’t recognized in the DSM until Edition V. This has created a belief amongst many that it is not a legitimate eating disorder, and that is false and dangerous!
Orthorexia is currently not formally recognized in the DSM, but it is an eating disorder that has been recognized widely since 1998. It is an eating disorder in which the person afflicted has an obsession with self-perceived ‘healthy eating.’ There is often an extreme fixation on the purity and perceived quality of food. Often, people with orthorexia become so fixated on their concept of ‘healthy-eating’ that it damages their own well-being (e.g. not being able to get other things done due to constant rumination, not eating at certain events because of kinds of food present)
Common Symptoms and Warning Signs of Orthorexia:
What is Controversial About This:
Orthorexia is not officially defined in the DSM. It’s often used colloquially as an obsession with health to the point where it starts to become unhealthy. This type of mindset can be present with any eating disorder.
This category applies to presentations of eating/feeding disorders in which symptoms 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 disorders diagnostic class. The other specified feeding or eating disorder category is used in situations in which the clinician chooses to communicate the specific reason that the presentation does not meet the criteria for any specific feeding and eating disorder. This is done by recording “other specified feeding or eating disorder” followed by the specific reason (e.g., “bulimia nervosa of low frequency”).
Examples of presentations that can be specified using the “other specified” designation include the following:
Atypical anorexia nervosa: All of the criteria for anorexia nervosa are met, except that despite significant weight loss, the individual’s weight is within or above the normal range.
Bulimia nervosa (of low frequency and/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.
Binge-eating disorder (of low frequency and/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 for less than 3 months.
Purging disorder: Recurrent purging behavior to influence weight or shape (e.g., self-induced vomiting; misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or other medications) in the absence of binge eating.
Night eating syndrome: Recurrent episodes of night eating, as manifested by eating after awakening from sleep or by excessive food consumption after the evening meal. There is awareness and recall of the eating. The night eating is not better explained by external influences such as changes in the individual’s sleep-wake cycle or by local social norms. The night eating causes significant distress and/or impairment in functioning. The disordered pattern of eating is not better explained by binge-eating disorder or another mental disorder, including substance use, and is not attributable to another medical disorder or to an effect of medication.
What is Controversial About This:
PICA is a well-defined disorder and its definition is widely accepted.
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 disorders diagnostic class. The unspecified feeding and eating disorder category is used in situations in which the clinician chooses not to specify the reason that the criteria are not met for a specific feeding and eating disorder, and includes presentations in which there is insufficient information to make a more specific diagnosis (e.g., in emergency room settings).
What is Controversial About This:
This category is not well defined, and thus, is not useful for treatment purposes.
The traditional eating disorder categories too rigidly define what is and is not a certain eating disorder, leaving a lot of disorders lumped together in ambiguous groupings (ie., OSFED). Many people who struggle with disordered eating may experience a variety of symptoms and eating disorder behaviors throughout the scope of their illness. People often float from one category to another over time.
ARFID is an eating disorder characterized by a restriction in the amount and/or types of food someone consumes due to fears surrounding the food itself. This may manifest as an avoidance of food due to sensory characteristics of the food (e.g. texture, color), fear of consequences of eating food (e.g. becoming violently ill), or an apparent lack of interest for eating the food(s). This life-threatening illness can drastically affect proper development and growth in children, and in the case of adults, may result in drastic weight loss.
Diagnostic Criteria
An eating or feeding disturbance (e.g., apparent lack of interest in eating or food; avoidance based on sensory characteristics of food (e.g. texture, color); concern about aversive consequences of eating (e.g. fear of becoming violently ill)) as manifested by persistent failure to meet appropriate nutritional and/or energy needs associated with one (or more) of the following:
What’s Controversial About This:
The addition of ARFID into the DSM is a positive change as it recognizes a large portion of the population of people struggling with eating disorders that deserve a different approach to treatment that focuses on the sensory aversion to food.
Bulimia is an eating disorder characterized by a cycle of behaviors in which one binge eats and then uses compensatory behaviors, such as self-induced vomiting, excessive exercise, and/or the use of laxatives in an attempt to compensate for the binge behaviors. Like all eating disorders, Bulimia is a life-threatening illness. The use of binge and purge behaviors can be extremely harmful on the body for a variety of reasons.
Diagnostic Criteria
What is Controversial About This:
ALL purging behavior, especially self-induced vomiting, is dangerous and a sign that you deserve treatment and support. You should not have to engage in purging behaviors for three months before it’s considered a problem.
The differentiation between Anorexia Binge-Purge subtype and Bulimia is ambiguous and not clearly defined and the behaviors and thought patterns are essentially the same.
Binge Eating Disorder is an eating disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of binge eating, a feeling of loss of control during the binges, and often, feelings of shame, guilt and/or disgust following the bingeing behavior. It is a life-threatening illness. BED is the most common eating disorder diagnosis in the United States.
Diagnostic Criteria
Recurrent episodes of binge eating. An episode of binge eating is characterized by both of the following:
What is Controversial About This:
Binge Eating Disorder is the most common eating disorder in America, and it wasn’t recognized in the DSM until Edition V. This has created a belief amongst many that it is not a legitimate eating disorder, and that is false and dangerous!
Orthorexia is currently not formally recognized in the DSM, but it is an eating disorder that has been recognized widely since 1998. It is an eating disorder in which the person afflicted has an obsession with self-perceived ‘healthy eating.’ There is often an extreme fixation on the purity and perceived quality of food. Often, people with orthorexia become so fixated on their concept of ‘healthy-eating’ that it damages their own well-being (e.g. not being able to get other things done due to constant rumination, not eating at certain events because of kinds of food present)
Common Symptoms and Warning Signs of Orthorexia:
What is Controversial About This:
Orthorexia is not officially defined in the DSM. It’s often used colloquially as an obsession with health to the point where it starts to become unhealthy. This type of mindset can be present with any eating disorder.
This category applies to presentations of eating/feeding disorders in which symptoms 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 disorders diagnostic class. The other specified feeding or eating disorder category is used in situations in which the clinician chooses to communicate the specific reason that the presentation does not meet the criteria for any specific feeding and eating disorder. This is done by recording “other specified feeding or eating disorder” followed by the specific reason (e.g., “bulimia nervosa of low frequency”).
Examples of presentations that can be specified using the “other specified” designation include the following:
Atypical anorexia nervosa: All of the criteria for anorexia nervosa are met, except that despite significant weight loss, the individual’s weight is within or above the normal range.
Bulimia nervosa (of low frequency and/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.
Binge-eating disorder (of low frequency and/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 for less than 3 months.
Purging disorder: Recurrent purging behavior to influence weight or shape (e.g., self-induced vomiting; misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or other medications) in the absence of binge eating.
Night eating syndrome: Recurrent episodes of night eating, as manifested by eating after awakening from sleep or by excessive food consumption after the evening meal. There is awareness and recall of the eating. The night eating is not better explained by external influences such as changes in the individual’s sleep-wake cycle or by local social norms. The night eating causes significant distress and/or impairment in functioning. The disordered pattern of eating is not better explained by binge-eating disorder or another mental disorder, including substance use, and is not attributable to another medical disorder or to an effect of medication.
What is Controversial About This:
PICA is a well-defined disorder and its definition is widely accepted.
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 disorders diagnostic class. The unspecified feeding and eating disorder category is used in situations in which the clinician chooses not to specify the reason that the criteria are not met for a specific feeding and eating disorder, and includes presentations in which there is insufficient information to make a more specific diagnosis (e.g., in emergency room settings).
What is Controversial About This:
This category is not well defined, and thus, is not useful for treatment purposes.
The traditional eating disorder categories too rigidly define what is and is not a certain eating disorder, leaving a lot of disorders lumped together in ambiguous groupings (ie., OSFED). Many people who struggle with disordered eating may experience a variety of symptoms and eating disorder behaviors throughout the scope of their illness. People often float from one category to another over time.
Diagnostic Criteria
What is Controversial About This:
ARFID is an eating disorder characterized by a restriction in the amount and/or types of food someone consumes due to fears surrounding the food itself. This may manifest as an avoidance of food due to sensory characteristics of the food (e.g. texture, color), fear of consequences of eating food (e.g. becoming violently ill), or an apparent lack of interest for eating the food(s). This life-threatening illness can drastically affect proper development and growth in children, and in the case of adults, may result in drastic weight loss.
Diagnostic Criteria
An eating or feeding disturbance (e.g., apparent lack of interest in eating or food; avoidance based on sensory characteristics of food (e.g. texture, color); concern about aversive consequences of eating (e.g. fear of becoming violently ill)) as manifested by persistent failure to meet appropriate nutritional and/or energy needs associated with one (or more) of the following:
What’s Controversial About This:
The addition of ARFID into the DSM is a positive change as it recognizes a large portion of the population of people struggling with eating disorders that deserve a different approach to treatment that focuses on the sensory aversion to food.
Bulimia is an eating disorder characterized by a cycle of behaviors in which one binge eats and then uses compensatory behaviors, such as self-induced vomiting, excessive exercise, and/or the use of laxatives in an attempt to compensate for the binge behaviors. Like all eating disorders, Bulimia is a life-threatening illness. The use of binge and purge behaviors can be extremely harmful on the body for a variety of reasons.
Diagnostic Criteria
What is Controversial About This:
ALL purging behavior, especially self-induced vomiting, is dangerous and a sign that you deserve treatment and support. You should not have to engage in purging behaviors for three months before it’s considered a problem.
The differentiation between Anorexia Binge-Purge subtype and Bulimia is ambiguous and not clearly defined and the behaviors and thought patterns are essentially the same.
Binge Eating Disorder is an eating disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of binge eating, a feeling of loss of control during the binges, and often, feelings of shame, guilt and/or disgust following the bingeing behavior. It is a life-threatening illness. BED is the most common eating disorder diagnosis in the United States.
Diagnostic Criteria
Recurrent episodes of binge eating. An episode of binge eating is characterized by both of the following:
What is Controversial About This:
Binge Eating Disorder is the most common eating disorder in America, and it wasn’t recognized in the DSM until Edition V. This has created a belief amongst many that it is not a legitimate eating disorder, and that is false and dangerous!
Orthorexia is currently not formally recognized in the DSM, but it is an eating disorder that has been recognized widely since 1998. It is an eating disorder in which the person afflicted has an obsession with self-perceived ‘healthy eating.’ There is often an extreme fixation on the purity and perceived quality of food. Often, people with orthorexia become so fixated on their concept of ‘healthy-eating’ that it damages their own well-being (e.g. not being able to get other things done due to constant rumination, not eating at certain events because of kinds of food present)
Common Symptoms and Warning Signs of Orthorexia:
What is Controversial About This:
Orthorexia is not officially defined in the DSM. It’s often used colloquially as an obsession with health to the point where it starts to become unhealthy. This type of mindset can be present with any eating disorder.
This category applies to presentations of eating/feeding disorders in which symptoms 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 disorders diagnostic class. The other specified feeding or eating disorder category is used in situations in which the clinician chooses to communicate the specific reason that the presentation does not meet the criteria for any specific feeding and eating disorder. This is done by recording “other specified feeding or eating disorder” followed by the specific reason (e.g., “bulimia nervosa of low frequency”).
Examples of presentations that can be specified using the “other specified” designation include the following:
Atypical anorexia nervosa: All of the criteria for anorexia nervosa are met, except that despite significant weight loss, the individual’s weight is within or above the normal range.
Bulimia nervosa (of low frequency and/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.
Binge-eating disorder (of low frequency and/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 for less than 3 months.
Purging disorder: Recurrent purging behavior to influence weight or shape (e.g., self-induced vomiting; misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or other medications) in the absence of binge eating.
Night eating syndrome: Recurrent episodes of night eating, as manifested by eating after awakening from sleep or by excessive food consumption after the evening meal. There is awareness and recall of the eating. The night eating is not better explained by external influences such as changes in the individual’s sleep-wake cycle or by local social norms. The night eating causes significant distress and/or impairment in functioning. The disordered pattern of eating is not better explained by binge-eating disorder or another mental disorder, including substance use, and is not attributable to another medical disorder or to an effect of medication.
What is Controversial About This:
PICA is a well-defined disorder and its definition is widely accepted.
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 disorders diagnostic class. The unspecified feeding and eating disorder category is used in situations in which the clinician chooses not to specify the reason that the criteria are not met for a specific feeding and eating disorder, and includes presentations in which there is insufficient information to make a more specific diagnosis (e.g., in emergency room settings).
What is Controversial About This:
This category is not well defined, and thus, is not useful for treatment purposes.
The traditional eating disorder categories too rigidly define what is and is not a certain eating disorder, leaving a lot of disorders lumped together in ambiguous groupings (ie., OSFED). Many people who struggle with disordered eating may experience a variety of symptoms and eating disorder behaviors throughout the scope of their illness. People often float from one category to another over time.
