[Obesity and feeding behavior: diagnostic and psychometric aspects]

Obesity is regarded in its triple connotation of symptom, risk factor and homeostatic organization, stressing the inadequacy of traditional formulations about psychological causation. Psychological factors most frequently associated to obesity are excessive intake, complications of dieting and alterations of body image. The predictive role of psychophysiological dimensions of Restraint, Disinhibition and Hunger is discussed on the basis of empirical information. ICD-10 formulations are considered a positive advance in the taxonomy of syndromes with alterations of body weight.