What is a defining feature of Anorexia Nervosa?

What is a defining feature of Anorexia Nervosa?

• A. Morbid fear of obesity
• B. Increased appetite
• C. Normal body image
• D. Hunger for fatty foods

Answer: (A)

Anorexia Nervosa is driven by an intense, often irrational fear of gaining weight and a distorted perception of body size. This morbid fear of obesity leads to severe restriction of food intake and extreme weight loss, even when underweight. That fear is the defining feature because it explains why individuals restrict calories so rigorously and deny the seriousness of their low weight. Increased appetite would contradict this pattern, since the condition involves refusing or limiting intake. A normal body image would not produce the obsessive weight concerns seen in this disorder, and a craving for fatty foods does not fit the restrictive, weight-conscious behavior characteristic of anorexia.

Anorexia Nervosa is driven by an intense, often irrational fear of gaining weight and a distorted perception of body size. This morbid fear of obesity leads to severe restriction of food intake and extreme weight loss, even when underweight. That fear is the defining feature because it explains why individuals restrict calories so rigorously and deny the seriousness of their low weight. Increased appetite would contradict this pattern, since the condition involves refusing or limiting intake. A normal body image would not produce the obsessive weight concerns seen in this disorder, and a craving for fatty foods does not fit the restrictive, weight-conscious behavior characteristic of anorexia.