title: Clinical diagnostic criteria for primary anorexia nervosa: An analysis of 54 consecutive admissions.
abstract: Clinical data on 54 consecutive patients presenting with primary anorexia nervosa were analysed under three main headings--demographic and family composition, patient personality and attitudes, and quality of family interaction. Eleven characteristic features were determined. It is suggested that a definitive diagnosis of anorexia nervosa can be made on purely clinical grounds, and without recourse to expensive and time-consuming investigations, if these features are considered. These features are also valuable in predicting whether a stringently dieting girl is in the early stages of anorexia nervosa or is merely conforming to the current adolescent fad for thinness.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D003192:Compulsive Behavior; D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010552:Personality Assessment; D010553:Personality Development; D012380:Role; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D012801:Sibling Relations; D012938:Social Perception