An eating disorder not otherwise specified (EDNOS) is an eating disorder that meets many, but not all, the criteria for anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa.
Example: For females, all the criteria for anorexia are met except that of loss of regular periods.
EDNOS is the most commonly diagnosed eating disorder in clinical settings. Thus, individuals who have clinically significant eating disorders that do not meet DSM-V criteria for anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa are diagnosed with EDNOS.
Individuals with EDNOS usually fall into one of three groups:
- subthreshold symptoms of anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa,
- mixed features of both disorders,
- or extremely atypical eating behaviours that are not characterized by either of the other established disorders.
In other words, EDNOS acts as a default category and is defined by what it is not. It represents a majority of those with eating disorders.
Characteristics of EDNOS according to the DSM-IV:
- Meet all criteria for anorexia nervosa except having regular menstrual cycles
- Meet all criteria for anorexia nervosa except their weight falls within the normal range
- Meet all criteria for bulimia nervosa, except they engage in binge eating or purging behaviours less than twice per week or for fewer than three months.
- Purge after eating small amounts of food while retaining an average body weight
- Repeatedly chew and spit out large amounts of food without swallowing
- Meet criteria for binge eating disorder
Quiz:
To learn more about eating disorders, you can do a quiz: Eating Disorder Quiz.
Get help
Eating Disorders South Africa (EDSA) hosts weekly support groups for individuals over the age of 18 who are struggling with anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa. These free meetings occur every Wednesday from 17:30 to 19:00 at Denmar Psychiatric Hospital—email [email protected] for more information.
Main image: https://unsplash.com/@dominikmartin
More information:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2785872/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2785872/