What psychological condition is characterized by an intense fear of gaining weight?

Anorexia nervosa is characterized by an intense fear of gaining weight, which significantly influences an individual's self-perception and body image. People with this condition often restrict their food intake, often to dangerously low levels, and may engage in excessive exercise or other behaviors to prevent weight gain. This persistent fear can lead to severe physical health complications due to malnutrition and the psychological impact of the disorder.

Understanding the condition is important because it reveals how psychological elements heavily influence behaviors surrounding food and body image. In contrast, bulimia nervosa involves cycles of binge eating followed by compensatory behaviors like purging, while binge-eating disorder focuses on episodes of excessive eating without the compensatory actions. Night eating syndrome involves excessive nighttime eating patterns, which do not center specifically on the fear of weight gain or body image issues as strongly as anorexia nervosa does.