Understanding Anorexia Nervosa: DSM-IV Diagnostic Criteria

The "Bible" of psychiatric diagnosis is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), which is published by the American Psychiatric Association. Because it is currently in its fourth edition, the acronym is often written as DSM IV. It is by the standards of this manual that American psychiatric patients are told what they "have." There are four DSM criteria for anorexia and two types of the disorder listed. A look at whether or not she meets these criteria can help even a layman to better understand her own or someone else's anorexia.

Things You'll Need

• Copy of the DSM criteria
• List of symptoms
• Pencil

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Instructions

• 1

  Write down the symptoms of anorexia as you or someone you know experiences them.

• 2

  Write the letters A to D in a column under the symptoms.

• 3

  Find the list of DSM IV criteria for anorexia at Eatingdisorders.org (see Resources below).

• 4

  Look at the condition described at letter "A." Compare the person's weight with the normal weight range on the height-weight chart at I Love India (see Resources below). If weight is consistently less than 85 percent of normal and she refuses to gain any more, put a check mark by letter "A."

• 5

  Look at letter "B" concerning fear of gaining weight. If it applies, check "B."

• 6

  Examine letter "C" carefully. A good rule of thumb is this: if talk about food and weight dominates the person's conversation, or if she frequently complains about being too fat (especially if she is thin), then letter "C" applies.

• 7

  Mark letter "D," concerning missed periods, as true or false.

• 8

  Compare your list of symptoms with the mark you gave each letter. If the symptoms match two or more of the descriptions, the person should see a doctor.