Photo courtesy of http://www.dsmivtr.org

Sarah Blake, Social Worker and Outreach Coordinator at the Center for Eating Disorders at Sheppard Pratt, offers insight on EDNOS, Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified.

So many of my patients have grappled with having the diagnosis of EDNOS. Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified is a classification for disordered eating that the DSM-IV lists as a category “for disorders of eating that do not meet the criteria for any specific Eating Disorder.  Keep reading though, before making a judgment call about this diagnosis.  In the rigid thinking of some of the patients I have worked with who have had eating disorders, having this diagnosis can initially mean to that individual that they have failed –  to be a person who has a “real” eating disorder.  This type of thinking can lead to a variety of other thoughts that can impede their recovery process.

The diagnosis of EDNOS can mean a wide range of things. It can mean you meet the criteria for Anorexia Nervosa, but you have maintained a menstrual cycle. It could mean that you struggle with severely restricting your food intake and have lost significant weight, but are currently at a fairly normal weight for your height. It could mean that you meet the criteria for Bulimia Nervosa but binges occur less then twice a week or that the cycles have occurred for less then a duration of 3 months.  It could mean that you eat small amounts of food and then do something to compensate for having ingested the food.  It could mean that you engage in a recurrent pattern of binge eating without any compensatory behaviors.

What is important to note here is that just because a person does not fit the exact criteria for Anorexia or Bulimia, does not mean they do not have a serious illness that requires attention.  Countless individuals who are diagnosed with EDNOS are at risk for the same medical complications as those individuals who are diagnosed with Anorexia and Bulimia. These include (but are not limited to) dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, heart attack, and death.  These are still eating disorders requiring necessary medical attention and psychological support.

EDNOS is a widespread problem. According to Eating Disorders: The Journal of Treatment and Prevention, EDNOS develops in 4-6% of the general population, and 50% of the individuals who come in for treatment for an eating disorder are given the diagnoses of EDNOS.  There must be a reason that so many individuals are in this diagnostic category and it is most certainly not, that 50% of the people who come in to treatment are not “good enough” at their disordered eating, to get an “official diagnosis”!

No matter how extreme your eating issues are, they are taking away from the fullness of life you could be experiencing. The eating disorder may seem as if it provides comfort or security,  but it does not allow you to feel a full range of emotions including:  joy,  surprise,  love and even sadness and acceptance to name a few.  Only by seeking help will you have the opportunity to truly begin to experience the fullness of life you desire.

*****Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified, Anorexia, Bulimia, and Binge Eating are all serious illnesses.  If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder – help is available! Contact us at 410-938-5252 or via the web http://www.eatingdisorder.org/get_help/ to talk to someone confidentially about your concerns.*****