a body weight more than 15% below the standard weight for a person's height, age and sex or BMI less than 17.5 in adults. In pre-pubertal children, growth and physical development may be affected and puberty delayed (1)
an intense desire to be thin
amenorrhoea in women
restricted carbohydrate and fat intake
individuals may become preoccupied with food and enjoy cooking for other people
50% suffer periods of binge eating with the consequent guilt and remorse
binges are seen as a loss of control
self-induced vomiting in 50%
use of laxatives or diuretics in 50%
vigorous exercising
there may be a lack of sexual interest in females and males with anorexia nervosa
the "core psychopathology" consists of a characteristic set of extreme concerns about shape and weight, often believing:
that to be valued one must be thin
that one must maintain strict control over one's food intake
body shape misperception (overestimation of body size)
no true "anorexia" (i.e. loss of appetite) except in very extreme cases
features that may be largely secondary to starvation e.g. depressed mood, impaired concentration, social withdrawal
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