Abstract

The eating disorders anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are serious conditions with complex etiology. Anorexia nervosa (AN) is characterized by the relentless pursuit of a thinner body shape, usually manifested by strict dieting and other behaviors such as obsessive exercising, vomiting or laxative abuse that cause significant weight loss, often to the point of emaciation. The drive for thinness is accompanied by a dissatisfaction with the body and a perceptual disturbance, which involves a distortion of how affected individuals perceive body shape. Such people generally perceive their bodies or parts of their bodies to be much larger than they actually are. Diagnostic criteria for AN include both the drive for thinness and body image distortion as above, a requirement for a weight loss to 85 percent of expected weight or failure to attain the expected weight, and in females, a period of amenorrhea during the time of weight loss. The improved level of knowledge about AN and BN resulting from research of the past 15 years supports a number of conclusions. Firstly, these disorders are increasing in frequency and are associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Secondly, effective treatment strategies have been develop for these illnesses, provided that attention is paid to both the physical state of starvation as well as the psychological problems. Verf.-Referat