Media Hype, Diagnostic Fad or Genuine Disorder? Professionals' Opinions About Night Eating Syndrome, Orthorexia, Muscle Dysmorphia, and Emetophobia

Abstract

Many “new” syndromes have been proposed for inclusion in the DSM-V. Some disorders acquired popularity through the Internet, but will they be taken seriously and get accepted by the scientific community? We organized an opinion poll among professionals in the field of eating disorders by presenting them a provisional set of diagnostic criteria of four “new” disorders: Night Eating Syndrome, Orthorexia, Muscle Dysmorphia, and Emetophobia. In general, the opinions did not differ much according to the characteristics of the 111 respondents. Among these professionals, Orthorexia is the best known and Night Eating Syndrome the least. Although the majority is familiar with the concept of Muscle Dysmorphia, it is most often viewed as a creation of the popular media and rarely observed in daily practice. In contrast, the other three disorders seem to be taken more seriously in the sense of “genuine” syndromes, which should receive more attention in research and clinical practice. Emetophobia appears to be the least “fashionable” of the four. The findings are discussed in the light of medialization and medicalization.