Clinical diagnostic criteria for primary anorexia nervosa: An analysis of 54 consecutive admissions

Clinical data on 54 consecutive patients presenting with primary anorexia nervosa were analysed under three main headings--demographic and family composition, patient personality and attitudes, and quality of family interaction. Eleven characteristic features were determined. It is suggested that a definitive diagnosis of anorexia nervosa can be made on purely clinical grounds, and without recourse to expensive and time-consuming investigations, if these features are considered. These features are also valuable in predicting whether a stringently dieting girl is in the early stages of anorexia nervosa or is merely conforming to the current adolescent fad for thinness.