Assessment targets

At the end of the chapter, you should ask yourself the following questions:

  • Can I explain the diagnostic criteria for eating disorders, discuss the overlap between them and explain how they have changed over time?
  • Do I understand how abnormalities of neurotransmitter function and disturbances in different brain circuits lead to the development of eating disorder symptoms?
  • Can I explain and evaluate psychological models of eating disorders?
  • Can I explain why neither heritable biological influences nor cultural pressures to be thin are adequate explanations for eating disorders by themselves?
  • Do I understand how eating disorders are treated, and can I relate treatments back to theoretical models?