ABSTRACT
The clinical features of anorexia nervosa have been clearly described by numerous authorities in the field, such as H. Bruch, A. H. Crisp, P. E. Garfinkel and D. M. Garner, and G. F. M. Russell. The clinical features of the eating disorders comprise features specific to these disorders and features more generally associated with psychological disturbance. The term “anorexia” is a misnomer because, except in long-standing cases, appetite for food persists. There is often an obsessional component to these patients’ eating habits: they may eat exactly the same food every day, cut up their food into very small pieces, or engage in other ritualistic practices surrounding eating. The principal complaint of patients with bulimia nervosa is that they have lost control of their eating. A central feature of the eating disorders is certain overvalued ideas concerning the importance of shape and weight. A family history of affective disorder is common among patients with eating disorders.
