Related to Symptoms
Q: Do all those suffering from Anorexia Nervosa (AN) hate food?
A: Many people think that AN is equivalent to hating food. However, the fact is most AN patients do like eating, particularly before the onset of the illness. Actually they think about food every moment but due to fear of weight gain, they start starving themselves, so they do not have hatred of food.

 

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Q: I do not suffer from Anorexia Nervosa as I always want to eat and eat a lot of snacks.
A: As mentioned above, AN patients do want to eat, but they usually reduce the amount of intake during regular meals and reserve their daily intake quota for snacks. Therefore, AN patients sometimes eat snacks frenziedly.
Q: Is it true that anyone whose Body Mass Index (BMI) is too low must be suffering from AN?
A: BMI, refers to the ratio of height and weight, is an indicator promulgated by the World Health Organization to indicate a range of normal distribution from the general population. While it is likely that a person whose BMI is too low may be suffering from AN, this is not absolute correct, as people’s body figure, to some extent, is inborn. It is therefore necessary to include psychological assessment during diagnosis.
Q: Large body figure means having Bulimia Nervosa (BN)?
A: Most BN patients actually do not have big build; some even weigh only around 100 pounds. BN patients are also afraid of being fat, but they compensate for their excessive intake of food by self-induced vomiting, taking laxatives, excessive exercises and fasting for a period, so that the actual amount digested and absorbed is not large.
. Q: I am obese and eat a lot. Does it mean that I am suffering from Bulimia Nervosa (BN) or Binge Eating Disorder (BED)?
A: Apart from the amount of food assumption, psychological assessment is comparative more important for the diagnosis of BN and BED. Eating disorders are mood-related psychological disturbances. If the patient, while eating a lot, enjoys the eating process and does not feel guilty or regretful or take compensatory actions afterwards, he/she is not regarded as suffering from BN or BED. For those suffering from the illnesses, they eat not to fulfill their physical needs but mostly in response to their emotions, for instance, to compensate for their emptiness and depressed feelings; to unleash a negative mood; to distract attention or to escape from problems. As a result, having an accurate diagnosis of BN and BED, patient’s psychological and social distress, apart from his/her weight and eating habits, should also be considered.