Anorexia nervosa:  An eating disorder characterized by an inability to maintain normal weight, or an intense fear of gaining weight, and distorted body perception.

Associated features  Intense fear  Abusing laxatives  Purge  Mood swings  Lose your appetite

 Exhausted  Checking for flaws in front of mirror  Obsession with calories, fat grams and nutrition  Want to imitate media idols  Felt like she was drowning

Criteria: A. Refusal to maintain body weight at or above a minimally normal weight for age and height (e.g; weight loss leading to maintenance of body weight less than 85% of what that expected; or failure to make expected weight gain during period of growth, leading to body weight less than that 85% expected.

 B. intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat. Even though underweight.  C. disturbance in the way in which one’s body weight or shape is experienced, under influence of the body weight of shape on self- evaluation or denial of the seriousness of the current low boy weight.

 D. In postmenarcheal females, amenorrhea is the absence of the three consecutive menstrual cycles. ( a woman is considered to have amenorrhea if her periods occur only following hormone. Eg estrogen, Administration).

 Specify type:  Restricting type: during the current episode of anorexia nervosa, the person has not regularly engaged in binge-eating or purging behavior (self- induced vomiting or the misuse of laxatives, Diuretics or enemas).

 Binge-eating/ purging type: during the current episodes of anorexia nervosa, the person has regularly engaged in binge-eating or purging behavior. (i.e self-induced vomiting or the misuse of laxatives, directs, or enemas).

 Etiology  Insecure about self image  Made fun off of bullying  Do not want a distorted body

 Family inherited  Family influences  Cultural pressure

 Prevalence  Range from low 0.5% to a high of 3.7% in women.  Males- one tenth that of women.  Between the ages  90% of the case occur in females

 Treatment  One on one therapy  Group therapy  Body image groups  Nutritional education

 Prognosis  Only 1 in 10 receive treatment  6% die for anorexia nervosa  percent fully recover

 Discussion question  How would operant conditioning help increase the probability of recovery to those who have anorexia nervosa?

 References  Halgin,R.P. & Whitbourne, S.K. (2005). Abnormal Psychology: Clinical Perspective On Psychological Disorders. New York, NY: Mc Graw-Hill. Myers, D.G. (2011). Myer’s Psychology for Ap. New York, NY: worth publishers. Facts about eating disorders. (2012). (March). (17). Facts about eating disorders. Retrieved from (News paper source).