ABSTRACT
Chapter 5 presents the psychological justification for and description of the diagnostic indices of the personality structure in eating disorder patients, significant from the treatment perspective. Based on the psychodynamic diagnosis of the personality structure, a clinical psychological diagnosis is an important complement to the medical diagnosis of eating disorders in accordance with ICD-11 and DSM-V. From the perspective of evidence-based medical and psychological practice, psychodynamic theories, in particular object relations theories (especially Otto Kernberg's structural and developmental model of the personality structure organization) allow for diagnosing different levels of pathology in the personality structure and confirm its significant role in the development of the psychological mechanisms of personality disorders. The psychological diagnosis of personality structure maturity also allows for refining the clinical assessment of the specific body image distortions (which are related to the personality structure). Among the significant indices for personality structure diagnosis (defined within the psychodynamic approach) are the specific psychological traits and body image (body Self) distortions characteristic for eating disorder patients simultaneously displaying varied personality structures: neurotic, borderline, or psychotic.
