anorexia nervosa

Anorexia nervosa is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes an eating disorder, characterized by low body weight and body image distortion, with an obsessive fear of gaining weight. Individuals with anorexia are known to control body weight commonly through the means of voluntary starvation, purging, excessive exercise or other weight control measures, such as diet pills or diuretic drugs. While the condition primarily affects adolescent females, approximately 10% of people with the diagnosis are male[1]. Anorexia nervosa, involving neurobiological, psychological, and sociological components, is a complex condition that can lead to death in severe cases.

The term anorexia is of Greek origin: a (α, prefix of negation), n (ν, link between two vowels) and orexis (ορεξις, appetite), thus meaning a lack of desire to eat.

"Anorexia nervosa" is frequently shortened to "anorexia" in the popular media. This is technically incorrect, as the term "anorexia" used separately refers to the medical symptom of reduced appetite (which therefore is distinguishable from anorexia nervosa in being non-psychiatric).