Eating Disorders, Gifted

Attention to anorexia nervosa and bulimia, two major eating disorders, in gifted individuals has been rare in the literature, with no studies comparing gifted individuals with counterparts in the general population regarding prevalence. Therefore, it is not known how gifted youth compare with those not identified as gifted concerning eating disorders. A few studies have found high IQ scores or high achievement among anorexic females, but the relationship of eating disorders to giftedness was not a focus of those investigations. This entry explains how eating disorders are diagnosed, and what kinds of stressors can lead to eating disorders among the gifted.

According to diagnostic guidelines, persons with anorexia nervosa refuse to stay within a normal weight range, have a distorted perception of their shape or size, ...