-By Timothy Lyons
I have performed some Eating Disorder Research and found that there are currently six Psychology Eating disorders listed in the DSM 5. They are under the heading feeding and eating disorders. There are two diagnoses in the general category of eating disorders not otherwise specified. The three disorders that are most widely known are Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa and Binge Eating disorder.
Eating Disorder Research
From my initial eating disorder research, the appearance of these disorders does not seem to be very high. It appears through studies that they are more prevalent in adolescence than in adulthood. Even though these may not be huge numbers, the toll of eating disorders is huge. Anorexia Nervosa Appears in the general population at about 0.4%. Bulimia nervosa appears at a rate much higher with as much as 1-1.5% occurring in general. Binge eating disorder appears at about 1.6% for females and .08% for males.
One interesting fact that I discovered in my eating disorder research is that with the addition of the eating disorders not otherwise specified category, these numbers are much higher. By 2012 this diagnosis was appearing in anywhere from 4.78% in adolescents and 4.64% in adults. This is a very large number. This area seems to be a catch all for a non-committal diagnosis. These are people that are seeking treatment for an eating disorder. The amounts of eating disorders once this area is added seem to be quite high. It is estimated that roughly half a million adolescents suffer from eating disorders.
DSM 5 on the Subject
The DSM 5 looks at disorders in a different way. There used to be categories that were part of the diagnosis. You had the category or you did not. The new way of looking at diagnosis is through continuums which I found through my eating disorder research. In this case the continuums are a series of possible features of an illness that one might have. Each feature would then be rated 0-4 meaning that a zero score is no impairment and 4 is significant. The ratings reflect how much of a problem any particular feature might be causing. This allows for much more individual diagnosis. It also brings up several questions.
If there is a general area of eating disorders then this number is significant. The impact of eating disorders is health and the economy is significant. One estimate is that between 8 and 10 million American suffer from eating disorders.
In one study it was noted that the mortality rate for eating disorders was higher than for any other mental illness. Not only do eating disorders cause emotional, financial and living problems, but they are also causing deaths.
References
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5 ed.). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing.