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Doctors/Eating Disorder diagnosis?
Question : Doctors/Eating Disorder diagnosis?
Will a doctor assume and/or diagnose an eating disorder based primarily on a below average bmi? Just wondering..
eating disorder diagnosis
Best answer:
Answer by N.P.
It’s not just about the BMI. They also really look at eating and exercise habits and other physical symptoms related with some eating disorders. People who are anorexic are often underweight, yes, but they also may be losing hair, have a downy fluff on their bodies, be very pale, and may also suffer from depression or be OCD. Bulimics may or may not be underweight; in fact, some may be overweight. They may have scratches on their knuckles or a lack of enamel on their teeth. The veins in their eyes may be messed up. They might have throat issues. They may also suffer from depression or have OCD. Generally people with any kind of eating disorder tend to have heart problems.
But the best way of diagnosing an eating disorder is to look beyond the BMI and really look at eating and exercise habits.
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#3 written by maria 1 year ago
Not on a low weight alone. Possibly based on the persons weight history: say a rapid weight loss. But if the person has always been considered petite then chances are an eating disorder would not be diagnosed.
Usually a number of factors are considered when diagnosing an eating disorder. A person can be diagnosed with an eating disorder even if they are considered to be a healthy or above average BMI.
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#4 written by Sunset 1 year ago
No. I’ve been in before with a low bmi, they might ask some questions but eating disorders are based primarily on how a person views themselves, not on actual weight. There are some people who have below average bmi’s and are still healthy. There are also people who have weight problems (as I did) due to other medical conditions. So low weight can have a lot of explanations.
Eating disorders are primarily about distorted body image. A person believes that they are overweight when they are not, attaches their self-worth to their weight, and takes drastic measures to reduce their weight. Eating disorders can be present even in people with weights in the normal range – it’s not really based on weight so much as psychology.
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#5 written by shaneris2 1 year ago
Not necessarily, but good doctors will keep it in mind, while they investigate for other possibilities, such as thyroid, or digestive problems, and may ask questions along all of those lines. EATING DISORDERS: http://emotionalhealth.ivillage.com/… and http://www.eating-disorder-research.com/ and http://www.webhealth.com/wiki/eating_dis… and http://www.edreferral.com and http://www.something-fishy.org/dangers/d… and
http://www.helpguide.org/mental/eating_disorder_treatment.htm and
http://www.selfhelpmagazine.com/articles… and
http://www.addictions.net/ Call EDAP on (USA) 1-800-931-2237 (8am – noon, Pacific Time) & Eating Disorders Center: USA 1-888-236-1188. More at: http://www.coolnurse.com/hotlines.htm EATING DISORDERS (this from http://www.pamf.org)847-831-3438 (USA)
National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders
Hotline, Counseling and Referrals
(go to http://www.pamf/. org for direct links to these)
Overeaters Anonymous
Find a local group.
(direct link at http://www.pamf.org/)Weight Watchers
Find a local group.
(direct link at http://www.pamf.org/)National Eating Disorders Association
Information on eating disorders and referrals for treatment. -
#6 written by Antoinette 1 year ago
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Absoluty Not. There are a set of guidelines or criteria that must be met for the diagnosis of an eating disorder. For example, Anorexia can ONLY be diagnoised in women if they stopped having their period. You can be 80 lbs, 5’8” but if you dont miss your period, they cannot classify you as having that disorder. Check online to see the exact critera. Do a search for DSM-IV Eating Disorder Critera. (DSM is the Diagnoistic and Statistical Manual (version 4) that is used for the diagnosis of eating disorders)