Do We Need Another Eating Disorder?

Abstract

Most people know about anorexia and some know about bulimia, but very few have ever heard of purging disorder. Purging disorder is an eating disorder characterized by self-induced vomiting or misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or other medications to influence weight or shape in individuals who are not underweight and who do not have large binges. This chapter describes how and when purging disorder was first identified, placing it in the context of the identification of other eating disorders and the factors that determine whether a condition should be considered a new mental disorder. It describes how purging disorder came to be included as an “other specified feeding or eating disorder” in the fifth edition of the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.