Treatment and managementNCBISkiptomaincontentSkiptonavigationResourcesHowToAboutNCBIAccesskeysMyNCBISignintoNCBISignOutTryoutPMCLabsandtelluswhatyouthink.LearnMore.JournalListNeuropsychiatrDisTreatv.11;2015PMC4340368NeuropsychiatrDisTreat.2015;11:385–394.Publishedonline2015Feb18.doi: 10.2147/NDT.S61665PMCID:PMC4340368PMID:25733839Theclinicalbasisoforthorexianervosa:emergingperspectivesNancySKovenandAlexandraWAbryNancySKovenDepartmentofPsychology,BatesCollege,Lewiston,ME,USAFindarticlesbyNancySKovenAlexandraWAbryDepartmentofPsychology,BatesCollege,Lewiston,ME,USAFindarticlesbyAlexandraWAbryAuthorinformationCopyrightandLicenseinformationDisclaimerDepartmentofPsychology,BatesCollege,Lewiston,ME,USACorrespondence:NancySKoven,DepartmentofPsychology,BatesCollege,4AndrewsRoad,Lewiston,ME04240,USA,Tel+12077866426,Fax+12077868338,Emailude.setab@nevoknCopyright©2015KovenandAbry.ThisworkispublishedbyDoveMedicalPressLimited,andlicensedunderCreativeCommonsAttribution–NonCommercial(unported,v3.0)LicenseThefulltermsoftheLicenseareavailableathttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/.Non-commercialusesoftheworkarepermittedwithoutanyfurtherpermissionfromDoveMedicalPressLimited,providedtheworkisproperlyattributed.ThisarticlehasbeencitedbyotherarticlesinPMC.Orthorexianervosadescribesapathologicalobsessionwithpropernutritionthatischaracterizedbyarestrictivediet,ritualizedpatternsofeating,andrigidavoidanceoffoodsbelievedtobeunhealthyorimpure.Althoughpromptedbyadesiretoachieveoptimumhealth,orthorexiamayleadtonutritionaldeficiencies,medicalcomplications,andpoorqualityoflife.Despiteitsbeingadistinctbehavioralpatternthatisfrequentlyobservedbyclinicians,orthorexiahasreceivedverylittleempiricalattentionandisnotyetformallyrecognizedasapsychiatricdisorder.Inthisreview,wesynthesizeexistingresearchtoidentifywhatisknownaboutthesymptoms,prevalence,neuropsychologicalprofile,andtreatmentoforthorexia.Anexaminationofdiagnosticboundariesrevealsimportantpointsofsymptomoverlapbetweenorthorexiaandanore