Definition: Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that involves self-imposed weight-loss. The disorder affects adolescent females and young women more than males. According to the DSM-IV, a person with Anorexia Nervosa must have the following symptoms: refusal to maintain body weight at or above a minimally normal weight for age and height; intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat, even though underweight; 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 denial of the seriousness of the current low body weight; and amenorrhea (in postmenarcheal females). Some bingeing and purging can occur in anorexia nervosa, but this is more common in bulimia nervosa. Anorexia nervosa can be fatal - because of starvation, because of cardiac problems induced by weight-cycling, or because of other health problems related to the stress on the body.
Last updated 11/26/05
Also Known As: anorexia
Common Misspellings: anoraxia, anorezia
