Stuart B Murray1, Scott Griffiths2, Deborah Mitchison3, Jonathan M Mond4. 1. Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California. Electronic address: stuart.murray@ucsf.edu. 2. School of Psychology, University of Sydney, NSW, Australia. 3. Centre for Emotional Health, Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia. 4. Centre for Emotional Health, Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia; Centre for Health Research, School of Medicine, Western Sydney University, Campbelltown, NSW, Australia.
Abstract
PURPOSE: Robust empirical evidence has illustrated a rising prevalence of body dissatisfaction and disordered eating among males, noting that both may be oriented more toward muscularity-as opposed to thinness-oriented concerns. While an elevated prevalence of premorbid anorexia nervosa (AN) has been noted among those with muscle dysmorphia, little evidence has examined the process of this transition from thinness-oriented to muscularity-oriented disordered eating. METHODS: This clinical observation presents a case of AN in an adolescent male, whose symptom presentation transitioned during the course of treatment for AN, into more muscularity-oriented disordered eating. RESULTS: Despite the core body image disturbance and disordered eating behaviors being retained, the behavioral expression of muscularity-oriented disordered eating was difficult to detect during treatment for AN, and he was discharged from treatment as his muscularity-oriented disordered eating escalated. CONCLUSIONS: Transdiagnostic crossover between thinness-oriented and muscularity-oriented disordered eating represents an important clinical concern, which may be challenging to measure and assess. Implications for treatment are discussed, and the early detection of muscularity-oriented disordered eating.
PURPOSE: Robust empirical evidence has illustrated a rising prevalence of body dissatisfaction and disordered eating among males, noting that both may be oriented more toward muscularity-as opposed to thinness-oriented concerns. While an elevated prevalence of premorbid anorexia nervosa (AN) has been noted among those with muscle dysmorphia, little evidence has examined the process of this transition from thinness-oriented to muscularity-oriented disordered eating. METHODS: This clinical observation presents a case of AN in an adolescent male, whose symptom presentation transitioned during the course of treatment for AN, into more muscularity-oriented disordered eating. RESULTS: Despite the core body image disturbance and disordered eating behaviors being retained, the behavioral expression of muscularity-oriented disordered eating was difficult to detect during treatment for AN, and he was discharged from treatment as his muscularity-oriented disordered eating escalated. CONCLUSIONS: Transdiagnostic crossover between thinness-oriented and muscularity-oriented disordered eating represents an important clinical concern, which may be challenging to measure and assess. Implications for treatment are discussed, and the early detection of muscularity-oriented disordered eating.
Authors: Robin Halioua; Andrea Wyssen; Samuel Iff; Yannis Karrer; Erich Seifritz; Boris B Quednow; Malte Christian Claussen Journal: J Eat Disord Date: 2022-07-25