Orthorexia: Where Eating Disorders Meet OCD

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Orthorexia – The Not-So-Healthy Obsession with “Healthy” Eating

Orthorexia Nervosa (also simply known as Orthorexia) is a relatively new term within the psychological and medical fields. Simply defined, Orthorexia is an eating disorder in which an individual has an excessive and ultimately unhealthy obsession about maintaining a diet that is totally “healthy” and “pure”. Because of their extremely restrictive eating, individuals with Orthorexia are often severely underweight, and frequently lack the proper nourishment to perform basic daily activities. Like most cases involving an eating disorder, the outcome of Orthorexia can be severe malnutrition and a significant reduction of one’s quality of life.

Orthorexia has not yet been accepted as a formal diagnosis by the psychiatric community, and has not been defined within the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-IV). However, since first being described by Dr. Steven Bratman in 1996, many health professionals have observed the often debilitating results of this condition. › Continue reading

Tags: Anorexia, Anxiety, Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD), Bulimia, Eating Disorders, Hypochondria / Health Anxiety, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Orthorexia, Phobias, Social Anxiety / Social Phobia

Michael Jackson and Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD)

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Michael Jackson has died.  And predictably, reports of his various mental health issues have rapidly come to the fore.

Of course, anyone who has been paying attention knew that Jackson was troubled.  Over the past twenty-five years, his physical appearance radically changed.  The glaringly obvious alterations of his nose, chin, facial structure, and skin tone indicate that he had multiple cosmetic procedures, and suggest  that he suffered from a significant case of Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD).  › Continue reading

Tags: Anorexia, Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD), Hypochondria / Health Anxiety, Insomnia, Michael Jackson