Kavita has a distorted body image of being overweight. She often refuses to eat, exercises compulsively and even starves. She is suffering from __________.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Anorexia Nervosa
Option (1) Binge eating — Incorrect. In binge eating there are frequent episodes of out-of-control eating; the person eats fast and goes on till uncomfortably full. Kavita refuses to eat, the opposite.
Option (2) Bulimia Nervosa — Incorrect. In bulimia the individual eats excessive amounts of food and then purges the body of it, with laxatives, diuretics or vomiting. Kavita starves; she does not binge and purge.
Option (3) Anorexia Nervosa — Correct. In anorexia nervosa the individual has a distorted body image that leads her/him to see herself/himself as overweight. Often refusing to eat, exercising compulsively and developing unusual habits, the person may lose large amounts of weight and even starve herself/himself to death, as Kavita does.
Option (4) Anxiety Disorders — Incorrect. Anxiety disorders are marked by diffuse, vague, very unpleasant feelings of fear and apprehension, as in generalised anxiety disorder, phobias or panic disorder. Kavita’s problem is with eating and body image, which places it among the feeding and eating disorders.
Note: A similar question was also asked in CUET (UG) 2023 on 18-06-2023 (Slot 2).
NCERT (2025-26): “Feeding and Eating Disorders … Another group of disorders which are of special interest to young people are eating disorders. These include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating. In anorexia nervosa, the individual has a distorted body image that leads her/him to see herself/himself as overweight. Often refusing to eat, exercising compulsively and developing unusual habits such as refusing to eat in front of others, the person with anorexia may lose large amounts of weight and even starve herself/himself to death. In bulimia nervosa, the individual may eat excessive amounts of food, then purge her/his body of food by using medicines such as laxatives or diuretics or by vomiting. The person often feels disgusted and ashamed when s/he binges and is relieved of tension and negative emotions after purging. In binge eating, there are frequent episodes of out-of-control eating. The individual tends to eat at a higher speed than normal and continues eating till s/he feels uncomfortably full. In fact, large amount of food may be eaten even when the individual is not feeling hungry.…” |