| Change of eating pattern |
| Anorexic patients lose weight by adopting extreme dietary patterns.
- The range of foods eaten is narrowed, with particular avoidance of fats and carbohydrates.
- Patients start avoiding social situations where food is served.
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| Compulsive behaviours |
| Anorexic patients:
- often develop compulsive behaviours centred around preparation of food, consumption of food, or bodily activities that help avoid a sense of fullness when eating;
- may have rituals about emptying bladder and bowels before eating;
- may develop eating rituals such as:
food must be cut a certain number of times,
food must be chewed for a definite time or a certain number of times,
food must be consumed in a certain order.
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| Control of appetite |
| Anorexic patients develop behaviours aimed at controlling their appetite despite their hunger. These include:
- frequent self-weighing;
- consumption of large amounts of water or diet drinks, or smoking cigarettes, to decrease appetite;
- abstaining from food.
Some patients lose control of their appetite and binge-eat, which they follow by self-induced vomiting or purging to avoid the perceived weight gain. |
