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A common misconception in medicine is that eating disorders present similarly in males and females. Research suggests that this is untrue: males meeting diagnostic criteria for eating disorders are more likely than females to have another psychiatric illness, demonstrate a later age of onset, and engage in excessive exercise. They are less likely to engage in purging behaviors, be diagnosed by clinicians, or seek treatment. When males do enter treatment, they are generally further along in the course of the illness.The classification of eating disorders in males according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) has recently been debated. Research suggests that one very common manifestation of eating disorder etiology in males, called muscle dysmorphia (MD) , includes an obsession with a larger and more muscular body, which contrasts with the thin, idealized body for females with eating disorders. Characterized as a subset of body dysmorphic disorder, MD is more recently conceptualized as part of a spectrum of eating disorders; however, it is still classified under the obsessive-compulsive and related disorders umbrella in the DSM-5.One study applied the latest DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for anorexia nervosa (AN) , bulimia nervosa (BN) , binge eating disorder (BED) , and MD to the medical records of male veterans treated in Veterans Administration (VA) hospitals across the United States from 2000 to 2015. The study (Table 1) found a significant increase in psychiatric comorbidity compared to controls (C) .Table 1 Prevalence of Psychiatric Disorders for Eating Disorder and MD Cases and Controls in a National Sample of Male Veterans Treated at VA Hospitals from 2000 to 2015

-The DSM-5 describes AN as characterized by a distorted body image and excessive food restriction leading to severe weight loss. How would a behaviorist explain the behavior of an individual diagnosed with AN?

Question

Passage
A common misconception in medicine is that eating disorders present similarly in males and females. Research suggests that this is untrue: males meeting diagnostic criteria for eating disorders are more likely than females to have another psychiatric illness, demonstrate a later age of onset, and engage in excessive exercise. They are less likely to engage in purging behaviors, be diagnosed by clinicians, or seek treatment. When males do enter treatment, they are generally further along in the course of the illness.The classification of eating disorders in males according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) has recently been debated. Research suggests that one very common manifestation of eating disorder etiology in males, called muscle dysmorphia (MD) , includes an obsession with a larger and more muscular body, which contrasts with the thin, idealized body for females with eating disorders. Characterized as a subset of body dysmorphic disorder, MD is more recently conceptualized as part of a spectrum of eating disorders; however, it is still classified under the obsessive-compulsive and related disorders umbrella in the DSM-5.One study applied the latest DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for anorexia nervosa (AN) , bulimia nervosa (BN) , binge eating disorder (BED) , and MD to the medical records of male veterans treated in Veterans Administration (VA) hospitals across the United States from 2000 to 2015. The study (Table 1) found a significant increase in psychiatric comorbidity compared to controls (C) .Table 1 Prevalence of Psychiatric Disorders for Eating Disorder and MD Cases and Controls in a National Sample of Male Veterans Treated at VA Hospitals from 2000 to 2015

-The DSM-5 describes AN as characterized by a distorted body image and excessive food restriction leading to severe weight loss. How would a behaviorist explain the behavior of an individual diagnosed with AN?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

11ecba2d_0c65_1afd_a3bf_aded7bdde685_MD0008_00 Behaviorism is a theory in psychology that focuses on the role the environment plays in shaping human behavior. Specifically, behaviorism focuses on how reinforcement and punishment shape human behavior. Reinforcement is anything that increases the likelihood of the behavior happening again. For example, positive attention for losing weight would reinforce that behavior and make it more likely the individual will lose more weight. Punishment is anything that decreases the likelihood of a behavior happening again. For example, if individuals are ridiculed for a behavior, they are less likely to engage in that behavior again. Although positive attention for losing weight might initially reinforce the behaviors (eg, food restriction) associated with that weight loss, additional weight loss can become a self-reinforcing cycle in which an individual no longer needs external reinforcement and the weight loss itself is reinforcing. (Choice A) A behaviorist approach is more likely to be focused on the environmental factors influencing behavior whereas a biological approach is more likely to consider biochemical factors. (Choice C) A behaviorist might consider the role of idealized body types portrayed in the media and societal standards of beauty but would be more concerned with the direct reinforcements and punishments that shape individual behavior. (Choice D) A social learning theorist is more likely to suggest that individuals with AN have close friends or family members whose behavior they are imitating. Social learning theory suggests that behavior is shaped through social interaction, imitation, and modeling, and can occur in the absence of direct reinforcement. Educational objective: Behaviorism focuses on how an individual's behavior is shaped by the environment, particularly through reinforcement and punishment. Reinforcement tends to increase the likelihood of the behavior happening again whereas punishment decreases the likelihood of the behavior happening again.