Which eating disorder involves maintaining a starvation diet despite being significantly underweight?

Which eating disorder involves maintaining a starvation diet despite being significantly underweight?

• A. Anorexia nervosa
• B. Avoidant personality disorder
• C. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder
• D. Autism spectrum disorder

Answer: (A)

Restricting food intake to the point of being significantly underweight, driven by a fear of gaining weight and a distorted view of body size, is the hallmark of anorexia nervosa. This disorder involves deliberate dieting and limited eating, often with an intense preoccupation with weight and shape, and may include restricting food intake across meals or engaging in behaviors to avoid consuming calories. There can be subtypes, such as a restrict-and-exercise pattern, where weight loss comes mainly from dieting, fasting, and excessive exercise. The other conditions listed are not eating disorders. Avoidant personality disorder centers on social inhibition and sensitivity to rejection, not on eating behavior or weight. ADHD features inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity, not a primary pattern of weight loss. Autism spectrum disorder involves social-communication differences and restricted, repetitive behaviors, not an eating disorder profile. So, the scenario described matches anorexia nervosa.

Restricting food intake to the point of being significantly underweight, driven by a fear of gaining weight and a distorted view of body size, is the hallmark of anorexia nervosa. This disorder involves deliberate dieting and limited eating, often with an intense preoccupation with weight and shape, and may include restricting food intake across meals or engaging in behaviors to avoid consuming calories. There can be subtypes, such as a restrict-and-exercise pattern, where weight loss comes mainly from dieting, fasting, and excessive exercise.

The other conditions listed are not eating disorders. Avoidant personality disorder centers on social inhibition and sensitivity to rejection, not on eating behavior or weight. ADHD features inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity, not a primary pattern of weight loss. Autism spectrum disorder involves social-communication differences and restricted, repetitive behaviors, not an eating disorder profile.

So, the scenario described matches anorexia nervosa.