Into the DSM-IV - Anorexia Nervosa

Anorexia Nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by the following symptomatic clues:

• An inability to maintain a healthy or minimum body weight
• A distorted body image
• An intense fear of gaining weight or becoming overweight
• An excessive emphasis on weight
• The denial of the seriousness of their condition
• In females an additional characteristic is the cessation of the menstrual cycle.

Anorexa Nervosa can be further classified as a Restricting type, which involves volutary starvation, Binge/Purging (including the use of laxatives or vomit induction). The onset of Anorexa Nervosa typically occurs in adolescence and affects about 1% of the female population.

Risk Factors

• Having a history of dieting (diets do not cause, instead all eating disorders originate through dieting attempts
• Being female (95% of diagnoses are in females)
• Having a parent in the family system who is overly concerned with weight issues
• Being a prepubscent or adolescent female (due to the incongruence of actual and ideal female body types portrayed in cultural situations)
• Biological predispostion.
• Psychological characteristics: distorted thinking, low self-esteem, stress, anxiety, perfectionism, and fear of rejection
• A history of trauma, sexual or physcial abuse
• Socio-cultural factors such as media or peer influences.

Protective Factors

• Psychological characteristics: high self-esteem, internal locus of control, high self-efficacy, mature defense mechanisms and coping strategies
• Personality characteristics: easy temperment, ability to make and maintain friendships, optimism
• Secure attachment to a parent
• Good parental adjustment. Parents with healthy attitudes towards weight and food can pass these along to children
• Socio-cultural factors: low levels of stress, high levels of support, minimal exposure to media images.