I realise that this is a genuine serious condition for some people. However I was listening to the radio in the car the other day and the way this particular version was described made it sound just like those of us treating ourselves through diet. They did say it was a new classification but it looks like it has been around for a while. It made me laugh!

From Wickipedia :

Although Orthorexia is not recognized as a mental disorder by the American Psychiatric Association, and it is not listed in the DSM-IV[11] or planned to be included in the DSM-V to be published May 2013,[12] it is still used as a diagnosis by some practitioners who have documented the damaging results of the condition as they have seen in their practices.[13][14][15]

As of January 2007, only two peer-reviewed studies have been published on the alleged condition.[16][17] In the studies, Donini et al. define orthorexia nervosa as a "maniacal obsession for healthy foods" and propose several diagnostic criteria.[16] Sufferers of orthorexia often display symptoms consistent with obsessive-compulsive disorder and have an exaggerated concern with healthy eating patterns. Like anorexia, however, these obsessive compulsive symptoms may be an effect of starvation rather than a cause of the disorder.[18] A diagnostic questionnaire has been developed for orthorexia sufferers, similar to questionnaires for other eating disorders.[17] Bratman proposes an initial self-test composed of two direct questions: "Do you care more about the virtue of what you eat than the pleasure you receive from eating it?... Does your diet socially isolate you?"[19] Other questions concerning those who may be suffering from orthorexia provided by Davis on the WebMD (2000) website are: Do they spend more than 3 hours a day thinking about healthy foods? When they eat the way they're supposed to, do they feel in total control? Are they planning tomorrow's menu today? Has the quality of their life decreased as the quality of their diet increased? Have they become stricter with themselves? Does their self-esteem get a boost from eating healthy? Do they look down on others who don't eat this way? Do they skip foods they once enjoyed in order to eat the "right" foods? Does their diet make it difficult for them to eat anywhere but at home, distancing them from family and friends? Do they feel guilt or self-loathing when they stray from their diet? If yes was answered to two or more questions, the person may have a mild case of orthorexia.[13]

Symptoms of orthorexia nervosa may include obsession with healthy eating and emaciation, among other things. Orthorexic subjects typically have specific feelings towards different types of food. The obsession for healthy foods could come from a number of sources such as family habits, society trends, economic problems, recent illness, or even just hearing something negative about a food type or group, which then leads them to ultimately eliminate the food or foods from their diet.

What a hoot - a new 'non' disease! Gotta be careful then or we'll be carrying around a label... Heck, I've already got a few of those, like 'non compliance' re Meds - as they can't understand over here the fact that I am very reactive to meds. 'Tis a larf, it is indeed, innit? (Rhetorical!)

ha ha - yeah, that descriptor could describe quite a lot of us NSDers ....until you get to the emaciation and starvation bit - I just checked myself in the mirror - and there is NO WAY you could call me emaciated!

I didn't realise it was ABNORMAL to be thinking about tomorrow's food today - I thought that was being organised!

Really got me laughing Louise, remembering how I used to go to bed with recipe books for 'light' reading - as I planned menues for the week when we lived in Bruxelles and had so many visitors all the time! Catering for dozens on a budget...yea. Food was 'occupational'! Now I don't bother, make up my mind whilst in the supermarket or at the farmers market - have me mental list of 'what' to avoid, and read labels, assiduously (well, got to, so much crap in the food chain. Sigh). As for 'lean' - errr hmmmm. No way, UNfortunately...and have stopped looking in the mirror! They really do dream up a load of nonsense <LOL>

Actually, there's something to this. I came across this a while back and found that there are some people (especially some teens) who truly have an eating disorder that centers around what they eat (not how much they eat--anorexia nervosa). Here's a good description of it.

The trouble comes when you apply this term too broadly to include people who prefer a healthy diet. Just as anorexia nervosa does not apply to anyone who's dieting to lose weight, orthorexia nervosa does not apply to those who are just concerned with a healthy diet or who follow certain diets for medical reasons (gluten-free or NSD). If health food becomes the center of your life, where you can't think of much anything else, where you freak out if you can't have your preferred foods, you end up wrecking your health, and you isolate yourself from your family and friends because of this obsession, then you have a real problem.

This is a type of obsessive-compulsive disorder, which requires some professional help to overcome. "Othorexia Nervosa" will probably become an accepted medical term soon, but mental health practitioners must be careful not to overuse the term nor to apply it too broadly.

--Greg

Quote Greg : " "Othorexia Nervosa" will probably become an accepted medical term soon, but mental health practitioners must be careful not to overuse the term nor to apply it too broadly."

And as usual, they will probably overuse the term!

"obsession for healthy foods"! I can't believe it! As if there's something wrong with that!

Problem is, people is going to start using it to dismiss our approach. And as always, "it's new, seems true, it must be right".

I was discussing my diet with a friend, and the next day he said in front of others I suffered form this. Remember that some people might get sort of jealous because they know they need to start eating healthy but just can't.

as others have said, everything in moderation, including diagnoses.

when i was in college, only ~100 lbs those days, but incredibly healthy (before the inflammatory arthritis and metabolic syndrome kicked in), a number of doctors decided i was "too thin" and asked me "anorexia" questions. i was just small boned and thus 100 lbs was normal for me. i guess they gotta ask.

as for this new dx. i've been "obsessed" with food my whole life! i just thought i had learned properly from my sicilian stepfather that one should "live to eat" not "eat to live"! LOL!

i think of all the questions, this may be the most important one i saw above:



i'd say emphatically that for those of us who have modified our diet for health reasons and from that our quality of life has increased, isn't that why we do it? to feel better? to have a better, not worse, quality of life?

and like others that have responded here, i see nothing wrong with watching cooking shows on tv for enjoyment, reading cookbooks as much as any other books, enjoying shopping for fruits and veggies in the market, the orchards, the produce stands. how is that a bad hobby?

but i understand what they are saying, when an interest turns into an "unhealthy" obsession, then its a problem, til then, just hope doctors don't go about over-dxing it, and save it for the true cases that need help.

at times, if i hadn't "obsessed" over my diet, my health in general, i'd never have gotten where i am today. gotta do what we gotta do.

Oh, I clearly see beneficiaries in the processed food industry and the pharmaceutical industry.