Orthorexia – a new diagnosis?
Journal Title: Psychiatria Polska - Year 2012, Vol 46, Issue 3
Abstract
Introduction: Orthorexia nervosa (Greek: ortho – correct, right; orexis – appetite, desire) is a term introduced in 1997 by the American doctor Steven Bratman and is defined as a pathological fixation with righteous and healthy eating. Clear classification criteria of orthorexia have not been developed yet and there has been an on-going discussion whether it belongs to the group of eating disorders or the obsessive-compulsive disorders. Aim. The aim of this paper is to summarise briefly the current state of knowledge regarding orthorexia and to point out the difficulties connected with an attempt to classify it in a given disorders group as well as with the attempt to establish the classification criteria. Discussion. Despite the fact that the problem of orthorexia has been signalled in the Polish media, it has neither been discussed nor published in the Polish medical literature yet. Orthorexia starts when a diet becomes an escape from life – everyday activities are dominated by planning, buying and preparing “proper” meals. Each departure from this regime causes anxiety and guilty conscience and leads to even further tightening of the dietary habits. According to Bratmann, orthorexia is connected with an illusory feeling of safety (preventing from diseases), the urge to exercise a full control over one’s life (elimination of the unpredictable), “a hidden conformism” (eating philosophy helps in a subconscious way to achieve a culturally accepted model of a beautiful body), a search for spirituality and identity, and a desire for self-deprivation. Conclusions. The arguments presented in this paper substantiate the expediency of implementing the epidemiological studies which will show the scale of the problem, its prevalence and conditionings. Data obtained in this way should facilitate the verification of classification criteria and will also help to formulate the diagnostic criteria of orthorexia.
Authors and Affiliations
Małgorzata Janas-Kozik, Jan Zejda, Martyna Stochel, Grzegorz Brożek, Adam Janas, Ireneusz Jelonek
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP119785
- DOI -
- Views 108
- Downloads 0
Relationship between emotion regulation and emotional intelligence in borderline personality disorder
Aim. A typical trait of borderline personality disorder is emotional instability. The strategies that patients with BPD use to regulate their affects are not yet known. The purpose of presented research was an attempt to...
Wzory przywiązania i lęk u adolescentów z diagnozą zaburzeń zachowania i emocji
Streszczenie Cel: W artykule zaprezentowane zostały badania dotyczące wzorów przywiązania i lęku u adolescentów z diagnozą mieszanych zaburzeń zachowania i emocji. Metoda: Obydwie grupy, zarówno kliniczna jak i kontrol...
Influence of antidepressant pharmacotherapy on the course of cancer
The coexistence of two or more diseases in one patient, especially in old age, is a common situation. The problem of drug effects, specifically speaking, their interaction and impact on the second condition still remains...
Cognitive dysfunction after cardiac surgery
In spite of the progress in medicine post operative cognitive deficiency (POCD) remains an important clinical problem. Since the introduction of cardiac surgery there have been frequent reports of its adverse neurologica...
Współwystępowanie zaburzeń psychicznych w łuszczycy: doniesienie wstępne
Istnieją doniesienia na temat stosunkowo częstego występowania depresji w łuszczycy oraz hipotezy o wzajemnych związkach pomiędzy tymi chorobami. Jak dotąd nie przeprowadzono jednak badań weryfikujących te hipotezy z zas...