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An evaluation of food addiction as a distinct psychiatric disorder
Author(s) -
Schulte Erica M.,
Wadden Thomas A.,
Allison Kelly C.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
international journal of eating disorders
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.785
H-Index - 138
eISSN - 1098-108X
pISSN - 0276-3478
DOI - 10.1002/eat.23350
Subject(s) - warrant , gambling disorder , psychology , addiction , dsm 5 , psychiatry , clinical psychology , reliability (semiconductor) , odds , medicine , logistic regression , power (physics) , physics , quantum mechanics , financial economics , economics
Objective To evaluate the state of the literature for whether food addiction may warrant consideration as a distinct psychiatric disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) using Blashfield et al.'s (1990; Comprehensive Psychiatry , 31 (1), 15–19) five criteria. This framework was utilized because it has recently been applied to examine the diagnostic utility of several eating disorder phenotypes. The criteria are: (a) at least 50 journal articles published on the proposed syndrome in the past 10 years; (b) proposal of diagnostic criteria and assessment measures; (c) clinician reliability in diagnosis; (d) cohesiveness of the proposed diagnostic criteria; and (e) differentiation from similar, existing diagnostic categories. Method For each criterion, a literature review was conducted to examine if the minimum qualification had been met, and key findings were discussed. Results Two of the criteria (literature and differentiation) have been empirically supported to extent specified. Two criteria (diagnostic criteria and syndrome) have been partially fulfilled, due to only having self‐report assessment measures and no examination of the odds ratios for meeting more than one symptom, respectively. Clinician reliability has not yet been evaluated. Discussion The existing literature suggests that food addiction may warrant consideration as a proposed diagnostic category in the DSM, though future research is needed to fulfill Blashfield et al.'s (1990; Comprehensive Psychiatry , 31 (1), 15–19) criteria. The development of a semi‐structured interview would be an impactful contribution for addressing these gaps.