NEDA TOOLKIT for Parents
Glossary This eating disorders glossary defines terms you may encounter when seeking information and talking with care
providers about diagnosis and treatment of all types of eating disorders.
It also contains some slang terms that may be used by individuals with an eating disorder.
Alternative Therapy In the context of treatment for
eating disorders, a treatment that does not use drugs
or bring unconscious mental material into full
consciousness. For example yoga, guided imagery,
expressive therapy, and massage therapy are
considered alternative therapies.
Amenorrhea The absence of at least three
consecutive menstrual cycles.
Ana Slang for anorexia or anorexic.
ANAD (National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and
Associated Disorders) A nonprofit corporation that
seeks to alleviate the problems of eating disorders,
especially anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.
Anorexia Nervosa A disorder in which an individual
refuses to maintain minimally normal body weight,
intensely fears gaining weight, and exhibits a
significant disturbance in his/her perception of the
shape or size of his/her body.
Anorexia Athletica The use of excessive exercise to
lose weight.
Anticonvulsants Drugs used to prevent or treat
convulsions. Antiemetics Drugs used to prevent or treat nausea
and vomiting.
Anxiety A persistent feeling of dread, apprehension,
and impending disaster. There are several types of
anxiety disorders, including: panic disorder,
agoraphobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, social
and specific phobias, and posttraumatic stress
disorder. Anxiety is a type of mood disorder. (See
Mood Disorders.)
Arrhythmia An alteration in the normal rhythm of the
heartbeat. Art Therapy A form of expressive therapy that uses
visual art to encourage the patient’s growth of self-
awareness and self-esteem to make attitudinal and
behavioral changes.
Atypical Antipsychotics A new group of medications
used to treat psychiatric conditions. These drugs may
have fewer side effects than older classes of drugs
used to treat the same psychiatric conditions.
B&P An abbreviation used for binge eating and
purging in the context of bulimic behavior.
Behavior Therapy (BT) A type of psychotherapy that
uses principles of learning to increase the frequency
of desired behaviors and/or decrease the frequency
of problem behaviors. When used to treat an eating
disorder, the focus is on modifying the behavioral
abnormalities of the disorder by teaching relaxation
techniques and coping strategies that affected
individuals can use instead of not eating, or binge
eating and purging. Subtypes of BT include
dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), exposure and
response prevention (ERP), and hypnobehavioral
therapy. Binge Eating Disorder (also Bingeing) Consuming an
amount of food that is considered much larger than
the amount that most individuals would eat under
similar circumstances within a discrete period of
time. Also referred to as “binge eating.”
Beneficiary The recipient of benefits from an
insurance policy
Biofeedback A technique that measures bodily
functions, like breathing, heart rate, blood pressure,
skin temperature, and muscle tension. Biofeedback is
used to teach people how to alter bodily functions
through relaxation or imagery. Typically, a
practitioner describes stressful situations and guides
a person through using relaxation techniques. The
person can see how their heart rate and blood
pressure change in response to being stressed or
relaxed. This is a type of non-drug, non-
psychotherapy. Page | 86