eating disorder terms and diagnoses

There are many eating disorder terms that are now used to diagnose someone. No longer do we consider anorexia or bulimia to be the only diagnoses of an eating disorder.

Below are the many different diagnoses that are possible according to the American Psychiatric Association (APA), from the most recent edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5):

Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID)

This is characterized by limitations in the amount and/or types of food consumed. It is different from other eating disorders like anorexia or bulimia in that it's not driven by concerns about body shape or weight. Instead, it primarily involves an avoidance or restriction of food intake due to sensory issues, concerns about the consequences of eating, or a lack of interest in eating.

Anorexia Nervosa (AN)

This can include Restricting Type and Binge/Purge Type. It is characterized by an intense fear of gaining weight, a distorted body image, and persistent restriction of food intake leading to significantly low body weight. Individuals with anorexia often engage in extreme dieting, excessive exercise, and other behaviors to control their weight.

They may exhibit a relentless pursuit of thinness, despite being underweight, and often perceive themselves as overweight or obese, leading to severe self-induced starvation.

Bulimia Nervosa (BN)

This is characterized by recurrent episodes of binge eating followed by compensatory behaviors to prevent weight gain. During a binge episode, individuals consume an excessive amount of food in a discrete period, feeling a lack of control over their eating. This is typically followed by efforts to rid the body of the excess calories, which can include self-induced vomiting, misuse of laxatives or diuretics, fasting, or excessive exercise. Individuals with bulimia often experience a deep sense of shame and guilt about their eating behaviors.

Binge Eating Disorder (BED)

This is characterized by recurrent episodes of consuming large amounts of food within a discrete period while feeling a loss of control over eating. Individuals with BED often experience distress, guilt, or shame due to their eating patterns. Unlike bulimia, BED episodes are not typically followed by compensatory behaviors like purging or excessive exercise. This disorder is associated with emotional distress, and those affected may use food as a way to cope with stress, anxiety, or other negative emotions.

Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder (OSFED)

This includes “Atypical” AN and is one of the eating disorder terms that fall into a diagnostic category encompassing a range of disordered eating behaviors that don’t fully meet the criteria for specific eating disorders like anorexia, bulimia, or binge eating disorder.

It includes a diverse group of symptoms related to eating, body image, and weight but may not entirely fit the strict criteria of the established eating disorders.

Examples of OSFED might involve atypical anorexia nervosa (where an individual has significant weight loss but maintains a weight within or above the normal range), purging disorder (engaging in purging behaviors without the binge-eating component), or night eating syndrome.

Individuals with OSFED may still experience significant distress and impairment in their daily functioning, and treatment approaches often involve a combination of therapies addressing the specific disordered eating behaviors and associated psychological concerns.

Unspecified Feeding or Eating Disorder (UFED)

This is also a diagnostic category in the realm of eating disorders, used when an individual's symptoms or behaviors do not align with specific criteria outlined for recognized eating disorders like anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, or binge eating disorder.

It is typically employed when the symptoms cause clinically significant distress or impairment in daily functioning, but the pattern of disordered eating does not precisely match any defined eating disorder. UFED might encompass a broad range of symptoms, behaviors, or presentations that are disordered and distressing but do not meet the specific criteria for a named eating disorder.

This category allows healthcare professionals to diagnose and address the significant problems associated with disordered eating, even when they do not fit a precise diagnostic category, ensuring that individuals with such concerns can still receive appropriate and tailored treatment and support.

Learn More About Eating Disorder Terms

For more information on the clinical requirements for each eating disorder diagnosis as determined by the DSM-5, please refer to the reference locations here.

A Note on Diagnosing Eating Disorders: A licensed clinician will perform a clinical assessment to determine whether someone has a diagnosable eating disorder. It is possible and common that individuals experiencing disordered eating symptoms that present a risk to themselves may not meet the clinical requirement to be officially diagnosed with an eating disorder. Therefore, eating disorder diagnostic criteria is restrictive and not always a good indicator of how much someone is struggling, and the criteria is also limiting since some eating disorders don’t fit neatly into one diagnostic category. Disordered eating concerns are still relevant and can still be detrimental to an individual's life, affecting their physical and mental health, social life, and general wellbeing, even if they are not diagnosable.