Anorexia Symptoms & Features

Question 1

Three Key Symptoms of AN

Answer 1

Diagnosis under DSM-5 requires all 3 symptoms:

• Restriction of energy intake
• Fear of weight gain
• Disturbed experience of body weight/shape

Question 2

Features of AN

Answer 2

Dahlgren (2017) lifetime prevalence - 1.7%-3.6% in females, 0.1% in males

Arcelus (2011) - 6x as many deaths as expected for females w AN, the highest of all mental disorders

Question 3

Eval. of AN Diagnosis

Answer 3

Strength
Sysko (2012) looked at the test-retest reliability of AN diagnoses. Ppts. assessed by telephone using DSM-V then repeated a few days later w different assessor. Agreement between the 2 described as ‘excellent’. Suggests trained clinicians can use the DSM-V to accurately diagnose

Weakness
Lack of specificity. Thomas (1997) found that many studies go beyond the DSM in defining ‘significantly low weight’ as the DSM doesn’t define one. Thus reliability rates in studies may be higher than they would be in a real clinical assessment, as in studies it is easier to find agreement between assesors when criteria are defined in detail

Smith (2017) looked at the validity of the 4 severity specifiers for Anorexia in the DSM-V (Extreme <15 etc.). Examined 109 ppts with AN, a higher BMI, which is described by the DSM-V as being less severe, actually correlated with worse eating disorder psychopathology. Thus specifiers lack validity

Question 4

AN Diagnosis AO1

Answer 4

3 Key symptoms - restriction of energy intake, fear of weight gain, disturbed body perception

Subtypes :
Restricted - Has not binged or purged in the 3 months before AN Diagnosis
Binge-purge - Person has binged or purged in 3 months before diagnosis

Severity - BMI > 17 mild, 16-16.99 moderate, 15-15.99 severe, <15 extreme