Typical and atypical anorexia nervosa in a Japanese sample.
OBJECTIVE
We examined the existence of nonfat-phobic anorexia nervosa (NFP-AN) and fat-phobic AN, with no evidence of distortions related to body shape and weight (AN-NED), in a Japanese sample and studied eating disorder pathology and psychopathology in NFP-AN and AN-NED.


METHODS
The study participants were 200 (52.2%) women with typical AN, 86 (22.5%) women with NFP-AN, and 97 (25.3%) women with AN-NED. Diagnosis of the three types of AN was made by structured clinical interviews. The Eating Attitudes Test (EAT) and the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI) were administered to all the participants.


RESULTS
There were significant differences among the three groups in terms of duration of illness, maximum and minimum BMIs and AN subtypes. There was no transition from the NFP-AN and AN-NED groups to the typical AN group during the 2- to 7-year follow-up period. There were significant differences among the three groups in scores of the EAT, the EDI total, and all the subscales of the EDI.


CONCLUSIONS
Besides typical AN, there were two types of atypical AN in terms of fat phobia and body image disturbance in this Japanese sample. The findings of the current study suggest that there may be significant differences among the three groups in terms of eating disorder pathology and psychopathology.
Kyoto Institute of Health Sciences, Kyoto, Japan.
Yoshikatsu
Y
Nakai
Kazuko
K
Nin
Satoshi
S
Teramukai
Ataru
A
Taniguchi
Mitsuo
M
Fukushima
Stephen A
SA
Wonderlich
D000293:Adolescent; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000145:classification / Q000523:psychology; D057215:Body Dysmorphic Disorders / Q000150:complications*; D001828:Body Image; D001835:Body Weight; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D009765:Obesity / Q000523:psychology*; D010698:Phobic Disorders / Q000150:complications*; D055815:Young Adult
Drive for Thinness; Eating Disorder Inventory; anorexia nervosa; nonfat-phobic anorexia nervosa