PSYCH 127A Chapter Notes - Chapter 10.1: Anorexia Nervosa, Emaciation, Eating Disorder
● Anorexia nervosa - hungry but starve themselves
● Bulimia nervosa - repeated episodes of binging followed by inappropriate compensatory
behaviors such as self-induced vomiting, misuse of laxatives or excessive exercise
○ Weight in normal range
● 10x more common in females than males
● Commonly develop during teens and early 20s
○ Due to focus on physical appearance and adjusting to rapid chagnes in body
shape and weight during puberty
● 44% of high school females and 15% of males are attempting to lose weight at any time
Eating Disorders in Males
● Adolescent boys often want to be bigger/stronger rather than slimmer
● Males are about equally divided between those who want to lose weight and those who
want to gain weight
● Reverse anorexia or Adonis complex - excessive emphasis on extreme muscularity,
often accompanied by abuse of anabolic steroids
● More realistic expectations about thinness contribute to lower prevalence of anorexia
and bulimia among males
● But men are less likely to seek treatment b/c they are less likely to recognize the
problem or feel more stigmatized
● Females with anorexia nervosa typically view their appearance positively while males
may have lower self esteem because their weight and eating struggles are "unmanly"
● More common among male wrestlers (bulimia) and gay men who place more emphasis
on appearance
Symptoms of Anorexia
● Emaciation, disturbed view of body and intense fear of gaining weight
● Other associated problems but not symptoms: cessation of menstruation, obsessive
preoccupation with food, occasional purging, and successful struggle for control over
persistent hunger
Significantly low weight
● Anorexia often begins with a diet gone awry
● DSM-5 does not have a formal cutoff but suggests a BMI of <18.5 as a useful indicator
● Average victim are usually 25-30% below normal body weight
● Many not treated until weight loss becomes life-threatening
● ~5% die from starvation, suicide or medical complications as a result of weight loss
Fear of gaining weight
● Presents problems for treatment
● Encouragement to eat can terrify someone who fears that relaxing control will lead to
total loss of control
● Fear is not soothed by loosing weight and may grow as the individual loses more weight
Disturbance in experiencing weight or shape
● Usually do not recognize emaciation and deny problems with weight
● Distorted body image - inaccurate perception of body size and shape
Document Summary
Anorexia nervosa - hungry but starve themselves. Bulimia nervosa - repeated episodes of binging followed by inappropriate compensatory behaviors such as self-induced vomiting, misuse of laxatives or excessive exercise. 10x more common in females than males. Commonly develop during teens and early 20s. Due to focus on physical appearance and adjusting to rapid chagnes in body shape and weight during puberty. 44% of high school females and 15% of males are attempting to lose weight at any time. Adolescent boys often want to be bigger/stronger rather than slimmer. Males are about equally divided between those who want to lose weight and those who want to gain weight. Reverse anorexia or adonis complex - excessive emphasis on extreme muscularity, often accompanied by abuse of anabolic steroids. More realistic expectations about thinness contribute to lower prevalence of anorexia and bulimia among males.
