Examples of Other Specified Feeding and Eating Disorder
Someone who meets full criteria for anorexia nervosa except for that their weight falls within a normal range. In this case, this person could be given a diagnosis of "Atypical Anorexia Nervosa".
Someone who started out overweight, then lost 100 lbs and ended up at a normal weight. An individual like this could become very ill and require hospitalization.
Another example is if someone has started engaging in regular binging, or binging and purging behaviour, but hasn't been doing so long enough to meet criteria for Binge Eating Disorder or Bulimia; they are generally termed "BED (or BN) of low frequency and/or limited duration".
Finally, in cases where someone experiences recurrent purging behaviour but does not engage in binge eating, a diagnosis of "purging disorder" may be given.
Diagnostic Criteria: OTHER SPECIFIED FEEDING AND EATING DISORDER
This category applies when symptoms of eating disorders that cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning predominate but DO NOT MEET FULL CRITERIA for any of the other eating disorder categories. Examples of presentations in this category may included:
1. Atypical anorexia nervosa: All of the criteria for anorexia nervosa are met, except that despite significant weight loss, the individual's weight is within or above the normal range (eg. if someone started out overweight and lost a significant amount of weight, and met other criteria for AN).
2. Bulimia nervosa (of low frequency and/ or limited duration): All of the criteria for BN are met, except that binge eating and inappropriate compensatory behaviours occur, on average, less than once per week and/ or for less than 3 months duration.
3. Binge eating disorder (of low frequency and/ or limited duration): All of the criteria for BED are met, except that binge eating occurs, on average, less than once per week and/ or for less than 3 months duration.
4. Purging Disorder: Recurrent purging behavior to influence weight or shape (e.g. self induced vomiting; misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or other medications) in the absence of binge eating.