Otherwise Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder

Background Information

Otherwise Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder (OSFED) replaced Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (EDNOS) in the DSM-V.  It is the most common eating disorder diagnosis. Approximately 32-53% of people with eating disorders fit under this umbrella (Muhlheim 2020). This category helps diagnose eating disorders in individuals who do not  meet all the criteria for one specific disorder such as anorexia or bulimia. Individuals suffering from OSFED may have tendencies that fit within all the branches of eating disorders.

Detailed Diagnostic Criteria

Detailed diagnostic criteria are taken from the Diagnostic Statistical Manual, 5th edition (DSM-V).

Includes disorders of eating that do not meet the criteria for any specific eating disorder. Examples include:

  1. For females, all of the criteria for anorexia nervosa are met except that the individual has regular periods.
  2. All of the criteria for anorexia nervosa are met, however, despite significant weight loss the individual's current weight is in the normal range.
  3. All of the criteria for bulimia nervosa are met except that the binge eating and inappropriate compensatory mechanisms occur less than 2 times a week or for less than 3 months.
  4. The regular use of inappropriate compensatory behavior by an individual of normal body weight after eating small amounts of food
  5. Repeatedly chewing and spitting out, but not swallowing, large amounts of food.
  6. Frequent night eating either by waking up from sleeping to eat or by consuming excessive amounts of food after having an evening meal.

Last update:  26 March 2021 

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