<p>If I'm understanding your question, you're wondering if anorexia nervosa is a symptom of other underlying problems in a person's life.</p>

<p>This is a current theory being supported by "<a href="http://www.clinicalneuropsychiatry.org/pdf/borsbooml.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Mental disorders as complex networks: An introduction and overview of a network approach to psychopathology</a>" written by Nuijten et. al. The paper describes how instead of seeing a disorder as a single "latent variable" connecting all the symptoms, all the symptoms should just be considered as a network reinforcing themselves. This is demonstrated in the figure below taken from the paper:</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/es7Fy.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/es7Fy.png" alt="comparison_figure"></a></p>

<p>For a discussion of the paper, see "<a href="http://slatestarcodex.com/2016/12/14/ssc-journal-club-mental-disorders-as-networks/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Mental Disorders As Networks</a>" by SlateStarCodex.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-01-16T09:42:59.953Z
`[...] is a symptom of other underlying problems` - Exactly. If my question is unclear let me know what i should change, or you can edit it as well. I m not familiar with cognitive sciences' terminology (especially in english). (this message will be deleted in a few days)
user
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2017-01-17T00:39:23.423Z
@Fermiparadox I guess the only thing that was unclear in your question was your use of "divert" and "anxiety management tool" makes your question seem like you're saying it's a coping tool? Which makes sense if you think about how that coping tool would become obsolete if you replace it with something better, but it's still a bit of an awkward reasoning jump to make. Does that help?
Seanny123
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2017-01-16T06:38:40.350Z
2017-01-16T06:38:40.350Z
Seanny123
<p>Talking to people with anorexia nervosa, I noticed that some of them have actually much bigger problems than their aforementioned condition. </p>

<p>In some cases it looked as if the person was spending daily an insane amount of time on food, having no time left to deal with other more serious issues in his life. Removing his anorexia, would leave him "helpless" against his real fear, so why would he want that? He would rather keep postponing facing his fear... indefinitely. </p>

<hr>

<p><strong>Question:</strong>   </p>

<p>Are there any studies related to the above conditions being used by a person, as a way to divert his attention away from other events that are actually even more stressful? </p>

<hr>

<p><strong>Note:</strong><br>
I'm <strong>not</strong> implying that distraction is always the <em>only</em> (or even the main) reason these conditions appear; I'm simply wondering if they are <em>sometimes</em> used subconsciously as another anxiety management tool. </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-01-16T18:54:51.183Z
@what Indeed. _`These findings suggest anxiety is a reason why someone develops anorexia, rather than a symptom of the eating disorder.`_ along with _`[..]hypothesize anorexia is a subconscious way to deal with premorbid anxiety — that the anorexia helps control the anxiety`_.
user
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-01-21T14:18:08.727Z
@what you should post an answer based on that link.
user
<cognitive-psychology><reference-request><anxiety>
Anorexia nervosa as an anxiety management tool
user
# Anorexia nervosa as an anxiety management tool

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-01-13)

Talking to people with anorexia nervosa, I noticed that some of them have actually much bigger problems than their aforementioned condition.

In some cases it looked as if the person was spending daily an insane amount of time on food, having no time left to deal with other more serious issues in his life. Removing his anorexia, would leave him "helpless" against his real fear, so why would he want that? He would rather keep postponing facing his fear... indefinitely.

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**Question:**

Are there any studies related to the above conditions being used by a person, as a way to divert his attention away from other events that are actually even more stressful?

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**Note:**  
I'm **not** implying that distraction is always the *only* (or even the main) reason these conditions appear; I'm simply wondering if they are *sometimes* used subconsciously as another anxiety management tool.

**Tags:** cognitive-psychology, reference-request, anxiety

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: @what Indeed. _`These findings suggest anxiety is a reason why someone develops anorexia, rather than a symptom of the eating disorder.`_ along with _`[..]hypothesize anorexia is a subconscious way to deal with premorbid anxiety — that the anorexia helps control the anxiety`_.  
> **username_0**: @what you should post an answer based on that link.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2017-01-16. Score: 2

If I'm understanding your question, you're wondering if anorexia nervosa is a symptom of other underlying problems in a person's life.

This is a current theory being supported by "[Mental disorders as complex networks: An introduction and overview of a network approach to psychopathology](http://www.clinicalneuropsychiatry.org/pdf/borsbooml.pdf)" written by Nuijten et. al. The paper describes how instead of seeing a disorder as a single "latent variable" connecting all the symptoms, all the symptoms should just be considered as a network reinforcing themselves. This is demonstrated in the figure below taken from the paper:

[![comparison_figure](https://i.sstatic.net/es7Fy.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/es7Fy.png)

For a discussion of the paper, see "[Mental Disorders As Networks](http://slatestarcodex.com/2016/12/14/ssc-journal-club-mental-disorders-as-networks/)" by SlateStarCodex.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: `[...] is a symptom of other underlying problems` - Exactly. If my question is unclear let me know what i should change, or you can edit it as well. I m not familiar with cognitive sciences' terminology (especially in english). (this message will be deleted in a few days)  
> **username_1**: @Fermiparadox I guess the only thing that was unclear in your question was your use of "divert" and "anxiety management tool" makes your question seem like you're saying it's a coping tool? Which makes sense if you think about how that coping tool would become obsolete if you replace it with something better, but it's still a bit of an awkward reasoning jump to make. Does that help?  

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