anorexic but not underweight?

swt0pie

Can someone be anorexic but not underweight?

impyimpyaj

Yes.

acg1305

of course, it is an illness not a number on the scales.

emrys1976

By current definition - no. An anorexic is partially defined as having a body weight 85% or less of a healthy weight. However - a person can have a severe eating disorder that presents as anorexia in terms of behavior. It is just as important for them to get help as it is for a person who meets criteria for anorexia.

swt0pie

thanks

scarlettgeorgia4

yes very much so

leslisa

I have been diagnosed as anorexic on and off most of my life. I think of myself as anorexic no matter the weight. For me it's a state of mind. Battling it right now. Was doing well, but now, lost 2 lbs in 1 week. Trying to keep it together, but stress is smacking me. Still I'm eating 7 - 800 cals a day and that's better than when i was eating 250.

If you think you have an eating disorder, be careful, find out, get help if you can. I had a heart attack at 35, partially brought on by years of underweight.

FlaxMilk

Under current standards, that person would have EDNOS until reaching about a BMI of 17.5 and losing her period. (For those undergoing treatment for anorexia and having weight changes, the diagnosis would stay the same.) They are revamping the criteria though.

leslisa

Under current standards, that person would have EDNOS until reaching about a BMI of 17.5 and losing her period. (For those undergoing treatment for anorexia and having weight changes, the diagnosis would stay the same.) They are revamping the criteria though.

Thank you for the above info. Interesting how medicine classifies things. I feel the same no matter how I'm classified, it's just the weight that has changed. After surgery and a severe allergic reaction that required steriods I gained a boatload of weight. Now I'm taking it off. Was doing it right, the healthy way, but the old mindset is comfortable, hard to break because it's a guarenteed way of losing weight and I feel in total control of my life all the time. It's a high for me and I require less sleep. It's the same feeling whether I'm wearing a girl's size 12 or a woman's size 7.

FlaxMilk

Yes, I think that changing the standards will make treatment more accessible and take some of the "not good enough" stigma associated with the current classification. I still think EDNOS will have a place, but the current rigidity is just awful.

grannygethealthy1111

To be diagnosed with anorexia, a person must:

- Have an intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat, even when she is underweight.
- Refuse to keep weight at what is considered normal for her age and height (15% or more below the normal weight).
- Have a body image that is very distorted, be very focused on body weight or shape, and refuse to admit the seriousness of weight loss.
- Have not had a period for three or more cycles (in women).

FlaxMilk

These are the proposed changes:

Anorexia Nervosa

A. Restriction of energy intake relative to requirements leading to a significantly low body weight in the context of age, sex, developmental trajectory, and physical health. Significantly low weight is defined as a weight that is less than minimally normal, or, for children and adolescents, less than that minimally expected.

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

C. Disturbance in the way in which one's body weight or shape is experienced, undue influence of body weight or shape on self-evaluation, or persistent lack of recognition of the seriousness of the current low body weight.

Specify current subtype:

Restricting Type: during the last 3 months, the individual has not engaged in recurrent episodes of binge eating or purging behavior (i.e., self-induced vomiting or the misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or enemas).

Binge-Eating/Purging Type: during the last 3 months, the individual has engaged in recurrent episodes of binge eating or purging behavior (i.e., self-induced vomiting or the misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or enemas).

http://www.dsm5.org/ProposedRevision/Pages/FeedingandEatingDisorders.aspx

FlaxMilk

Feeding or Eating Disorder Not Elsewhere Classified

These Conditions should be considered only if the individual has a feeding or eating disturbance judged to be of clinical significance that does not meet the criteria for any of the Feeding and Eating Disorders described above. The Conditions are described briefly; detailed criteria are not provided pending additional research. Although a diagnostic hierarchy (“trumping”) is not explicitly described, only a single condition should be assigned to an individual reflecting the description that best fits the individual's symptoms.

Sufficient data are not available at present to justify designating these Conditions’ as Disorders. However, these Conditions may be associated with levels of distress and/or impairment similar to those associated with the recognized Feeding and Eating Disorders, and may require intensive clinical intervention.

1. Atypical, mixed, or below-threshold presentations:

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.

Subthreshold Bulimia Nervosa (low frequency 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 for fewer than for 3 months.

Subthreshold Binge Eating Disorder (low frequency 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 fewer than for 3 months.

http://www.dsm5.org/ProposedRevision/Pages/FeedingandEatingDisorders.aspx