Should Severe and Enduring Anorexia Be a Distinct Diagnosis?

Abstract

The current theoretical paper examines severe and enduring anorexia nervosa (SE-AN). Particularly, the paper looks at the main factors of SE-AN, treatment severity and duration along with treatment resistance, critically analyzing the extent to which they are valid and warrant a separate diagnostic category. First, the paper reviews typical AN, and then it reviews the purported differences—for example, in symptoms and treatments—between AN and SE-AN. Finally a conclusion is made that there is more evidence to suggest that SE-AN is not a valid diagnostic label.