Atypical Anorexia is considered to be a subtype of the DSM-5’s category “Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder.” You may have heard that definition and have wondered: what is atypical anorexia? Some of the signs, symptoms and behaviors of someone who might have atypical anorexia include:
- Preoccupation with food
- Preoccupation with body size and shape
- Intense fear of gaining weight
- Restricting food intake
- Malnutrition symptoms like low heart rate, low blood pressure, feeling cold often, dizziness, GI complications, etc.
- Emotionally withdrawing from social situations
Keep reading to learn more about what Atypical Anorexia is, the differences between Anorexia and Atypical Anorexia, and 5 Atypical Anorexia treatment options.
What’s the Difference Between Anorexia and Atypical Anorexia?
You might be thinking, the above signs and symptoms sound a lot like anorexia. You would be right. The clinical presentation of atypical anorexia is essentially the SAME as anorexia. So, why the difference in name? The only difference is that someone with atypical anorexia is not considered “underweight” or at a low weight (typically by BMI standards, which we know is BS). Someone with atypical anorexia could live in a higher weight body and may or may not experience weight loss as a symptom of their eating disorder. Despite this, individuals with atypical anorexia still experience the same serious physical consequences as someone with anorexia.
Because atypical anorexia has an extremely similar (if not the same) presentation as anorexia, we can attribute the difference in names ONLY to the anti-fatness and weight stigma in our culture. Unfortunately, many professionals are trained to only screen people who lose weight rapidly and present in smaller bodies for anorexia. However again, atypical anorexia is just as dangerous AND more common than anorexia.
It is crucial for us to know how serious eating disorders can occur at any weight. This challenges the stereotype that anorexia only affects those who are underweight. This recognition helps in ensuring that individuals who are suffering receive appropriate diagnosis and treatment, regardless of their weight. Treatment may involve a combination of therapy, nutritional counseling, and medical monitoring to address both the physical and psychological aspects of the disorder.
It’s important to note, regardless if you or a loved one has anorexia or “atypical” anorexia (or maybe no eating disorder diagnosis at all!) that you deserve support if you are struggling with your relationship with food.
5 Atypical Anorexia Treatment Options with a Dietitian
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with an eating disorder, it’s important to get treatment as soon as possible. A team of a doctor, an eating disorder specialized dietitian, and a therapist or psychiatrist is typically recommended. Here is what you can expect from treatment:
You can expect the eating disorder dietitian on the team to support a client in improving their relationship with food. This is done through:
1. Challenging Food Rules
Oftentimes a dietitian will discuss food rules. These include things like not eating after a certain time, only eating certain types of food, limiting dessert intake, not drinking certain beverages…etc. With a dietitian, you will discuss where these rules came from, why they follow them, what happens if they break them, if these rules allow any exceptions…etc. The hope is to set goals to challenge each rule so you feel like they can eat more comfortably and flexibly.
2. Meal Planning
We all meal plan in different ways. Some of us cook something to eat for the entire week. Some of us make food as needed throughout the day. Either is totally acceptable! A dietitian can support a client with an eating disorder in deciding what meal-planning strategy is best for their recovery.
3. Food Exposures
In atypical anorexia recovery, it is often helpful to participate in food exposures with an eating disorder dietitian. You will be able to try “fear foods” in a safe environment. The dietitian can provide encouragement and direction, as well as support you in processing overwhelming thoughts about the food.
4. Challenging Diet Culture
We all live in diet culture and this can severely impact how we feel about our food choices, movement, and our bodies. It’s important to talk about the various ways diet culture plays a role in our lives. Recognizing diet culture and calling it out is an important way to heal from atypical anorexia.
5. Conversations About Anti-Fat Bias and Weight Stigma
Once again, I wanted to note that the diagnosis of atypical anorexia itself is laced with anti-fat bias and weight stigma. There’s nothing atypical about a higher-weight person struggling with anorexia. There is nothing atypical about a person who doesn’t lose weight even if they are severely restricting. In many cases, anti-fat bias and weight stigma play a huge role in the development and prevalence of eating disorders. A HAES-aligned eating disorder dietitian can support clients in identifying ways fatphobia is present in their lives and how it affects them.
Final Thoughts on Overcoming Atypical Anorexia
Thank you for reading our blog, What is Atypical Anorexia! Despite its clinical similarity to anorexia, atypical anorexia differs only in the absence of low body weight, often due to ingrained societal biases and weight stigma. This recognition underscores the importance of broadening our understanding of eating disorders and ensuring that individuals receive appropriate diagnosis and treatment regardless of their weight. Regardless of the specific diagnosis, everyone deserves compassionate support and access to effective treatment to navigate their journey toward recovery.
Contact Us
Courage to Nourish is a group of eating disorder specialized dietitians. We have in person locations in Alexandria, Virginia, Columbia, Maryland. and College Park, Maryland. We offer virtual services across the state of Virginia, Washington DC, Pennsylvania, and Colorado. We offer individual nutrition therapy. As well as support groups. We would love to guide you in building a better relationship with food.
Contact us for more information. And to schedule a discovery call. Also, sign up for our client or clinician newsletter!
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Alex is the founder and owner of Courage to Nourish. She opened Courage to Nourish to create a practice that aligns with her values in eating disorder recovery. She is a Certified Eating Disorder Dietitian and Approved Supervisor through iaedp. Alex loves working with children, high school and college students as well as athletes. Additionally, Alex is a proud anti-diet dietitian and works with her clients through a Health At Every Size © and intuitive eating framework. Read more about Alex here.
