What the exam asks
- Symptom identification: Distinguishing between anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, or identifying specific personality disorders from brief case descriptions.
- Cluster classification: Grouping the 10 personality disorders into Cluster A, Cluster B, or Cluster C based on overarching behavioral traits.
- Diagnostic differentiation: Separating obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and schizoid or schizotypal personality disorders from schizophrenic spectrum disorders.
- Etiology: Explaining how biological, genetic, sociocultural, behavioral, and cognitive factors interact to develop or maintain these disorders.
Core ideas
Feeding and eating disorders
Feeding and eating disorders are characterized by a persistent disturbance of eating or eating-related behavior that results in the altered consumption or absorption of food and significantly impairs physical health or psychosocial functioning.
| Disorder | Core Diagnostic Features | Weight Status |
|---|---|---|
| Anorexia nervosa | Restriction of energy intake relative to requirements; intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat; distorted body image (perceiving oneself as overweight despite starvation). | Significantly low body weight for age, sex, and physical health. |
| Bulimia nervosa | Recurrent episodes of binge eating (eating a large amount of food in a discrete period with a sense of lack of control) followed by recurrent inappropriate compensatory behaviors (purging via vomiting or laxatives, fasting, or excessive exercise). | Typically within the normal weight range or overweight. |
Personality disorders
A personality disorder is an enduring pattern of inner experience and behavior that deviates markedly from the expectations of the individual’s culture. To meet diagnostic criteria, this pattern must be:
- Pervasive and inflexible across a broad range of personal and social situations.
- Onset in adolescence or early adulthood.
- Stable over time.
- A source of clinically significant distress or impairment in social or occupational functioning.