A neuropsychological evaluation of orthorexia nervosa

Abstract

ABSTRACT

Selective attentional bias to food-related stimuli in healthy individuals with characteristics towards orthorexia nervosa

“…One prediction suggests that, for example, that like other eating disorders, ON may be characterized by the inability to adapt thinking to newly encountered information/events. This cognitive inflexibility, however, was not shown to be characteristic of ON compared to controls [16,32].…”

“…Whilst it has been argued that ON is a unique and specific eating disorder [12,15,16], a number of studies have identified common affective and cognitive agents operating in ON, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and other eating disorders [17,18]. More specifically, it has been suggested that anxious states similar to those reported by people with anorexia nervosa (AN) and OCD (strong beliefs about food and obsessive eating habits) may be characteristic of ON [19,20] and lead to "health anxiety" [21].…”

Orthorexia nervosa: relationship with obsessive-compulsive symptoms, disordered eating patterns and body uneasiness among Italian university students

“…abrytek-matera@swps.edu.pl ON usually starts as a health concern followed by efforts to achieve optimum health through diet but it leads to significant damages up to malnutrition, impaired social life, and quality of life deterioration [10]. Diet becomes the main part of people's thoughts and concerns [2] leading to distress about eating with significant dietary restrictions and consequent loss of food enjoyment, co-occurrence of anxiety with the need of control over food intake [12], rigid/inflexible eating behaviors and ritual meal preparation [11,20] desiring to achieve self-esteem and self-realization through control of food intake [21]. Sometimes this may be associated with unintentional weight loss, apparently with no desire to lose weight rather subordinated to ideation about healthy food.…”

“…The study by Brytek-Matera et al [26] suggested that orthorexic behaviors were associated with an unhealthy or negative body image among students although their strong concern about healthy and appropriate food choices. The most recent diagnostic criteria acknowledge obsessive-compulsive behavior, as previously reviewed by Koven and Abry [10] and demonstrated by Koven and Senbonmatsu [20]. As for obsessive-compulsive disorder, even orthorexia nervosa is characterized by the occurrence of persistent obsession (e.g.…”

“…thinking about planning meals), repeating tasks (e.g. ritual meal preparation, weighing products) [19], social functioning disturbances and lack of perceived quality of life as a consequence of cognitive intrusions [20,27]. Noteworthy that despite most obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms (intrusive obsessive thoughts and repetitive, compulsive behaviors) are perceived as ego dystonic (person's thought, behaviors, values, and feelings that are felt to be acceptable and consistent with the needs and goals of the ego), in orthorexia they are perceived as ego syntonic (person's thought, behaviors, values, and feelings that are felt to be unacceptable, dissonant and inconsistent with the needs and goals of the ego) [5,20].…”