NEDA TOOLKIT for Parents
Body Dysmorphic Disorder or Dysmorphophobia A
mental condition defined in the DSM-IV in which the
patient is preoccupied with a real or
perceived defect in his/her appearance. (See DSM-
IV.) Body Image The subjective opinion about one’s
physical appearance based on self-perception of
body size and shape and the reactions of others.
Body Mass Index (BMI) A formula used to calculate
the ratio of a person’s weight to height. BMI is
expressed as a number that is used to determine
whether an individual’s weight is within normal
ranges for age and sex on a standardized BMI chart.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Web site offers BMI calculators and standardized
BMI charts.
Bulimia Nervosa A disorder defined in the DSM-IV-R
in which a patient binges on food an average of
twice weekly in a three-month time period, followed
by compensatory behavior aimed at preventing
weight gain. This behavior may include excessive
exercise, vomiting, or the misuse of laxatives,
diuretics, other medications, and enemas.
Bulimarexia A term used to describe individuals who
engage alternately in bulimic behavior and anorexic
behavior. Case Management An approach to patient care in
which a case manager mobilizes people to organize
appropriate services and supports for a patient’s
treatment. A case manager coordinates mental
health, social work, educational, health, vocational,
transportation, advocacy, respite care, and
recreational services, as needed. The case manager
ensures that the changing needs of the patient and
family members supporting that patient and family
members supporting that patient are met.
COBRA A federal act in 1985 that included provisions
to protect health insurance benefits coverage for
workers and their families who lose their jobs. The
landmark Consolidated Omnibus Budget
Reconciliation Act of 1985 (COBRA) health benefit
provisions became law in 1986. The law amends the
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA),
the Internal Revenue Code, and the Public Health
Service Act to provide continuation of employer-
sponsored group health coverage that otherwise
might be terminated. The U.S. Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services has advisory jurisdiction for the
COBRA law as it applies to state and local
government (public sector) employers and their
group health plans.
Cognitive Therapy (CT) A type of psychotherapeutic
treatment that attempts to change a patient’s
feelings and behaviors by changing the way the
patient thinks about or perceives his/her significant
life experiences. Subtypes include cognitive analytic
therapy and cognitive orientation therapy.
Cognitive Analytic Therapy (CAT) A type of cognitive
therapy that focuses its attention on discovering how
a patient’s problems have evolved and how the
procedures the patient has devised to cope with
them may be ineffective or even harmful. CAT is
designed to enable people to gain an understanding
of how the difficulties they experience may be made
worse by their habitual coping mechanisms.
Problems are understood in the light of a person’s
personal history and life experiences. The focus is on
recognizing how these coping procedures originated
and how they can be adapted.
Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) A treatment that
involves three overlapping phases when used to
treat an eating disorder. For example, with bulimia,
the first phase focuses on helping people to resist
the urge to binge eat and purge by educating them
about the dangers of their behavior. The second
phase introduces procedures to reduce dietary
restraint and increase the regularity of eating. The
last phase involves teaching people relapse-
prevention strategies to help them prepare for
possible setbacks. A course of individual CBT for
bulimia nervosa usually involves 16- to 20-hour-long
sessions over a period of 4 to 5 months. It is offered
on an individual, group, or self-managed basis. The
goals of CBT are designed to interrupt the proposed
bulimic cycle that is perpetuated by low self-esteem,
extreme concerns about shape and weight, and
extreme means of weight control.
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