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Welcome to the Mohawk Valley's health information portal
How
to spot body-image disorders and where to go for help
Dec. 3, 2001
Knight
Ridder Newspapers
Serious body-image problems and eating disorders are best
treated when diagnosed in the early stages. Here’s what to
look for in men and boys:
Muscle dysmorphia: Man believes body is not sufficiently
lean and muscular. A man must have at least two of these symptoms:
Gives up important social, work or leisure activities because
of compulsive need to maintain workout and diet schedule.
Avoids situations when body is exposed to others, or endures
those situations with stress or anxiety.
Experiences significant distress or is unable to function
day to day because of preoccupation with inadequacy of body
size or musculature.
Continues to work out, diet, use performance-enhancing substances
despite knowledge of adverse effects.
———
Anorexia nervosa: Eating disorder marked by extreme
dieting and starvation.
Is underweight and refuses to reach appropriate body weight
for height and age.
Has intense fear of gaining weight even though underweight.
Denies seriousness of underweight problem, and self-evaluation
is affected tremendously by weight and shape.
———
Bulimia nervosa: Eating disorder marked by binge eating
and practices to get rid of the consumed food.
Has recurring episodes of eating larger-than-normal amounts
of food and feels lack of control while binge eating.
Has recurring compensatory behaviors to prevent weight gain,
such as self-induced vomiting; misuse of laxatives, diuretics,
enemas and other medications; fasting and excessive exercising.
Is influenced tremendously by body shape and weight.
Binge eating: Disorder marked by eating abnormally large amounts
of food and lack of control while overeating.
Eats more rapidly than normal.
Eats until feeling uncomfortably full.
Eats large amounts of food when not hungry.
Eats alone because he feels embarrassed about amount of food
consumed.
Feels distressed, depressed, very guilty or disgusted with
himself because of eating behavior.
———
Source: American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
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