DSM-IV-TR® Handbook of Differential Diagnosis Chapter 2. Differential Diagnosis by the Trees > Trees Based on Presenting Symptoms > Decision Tree for Changes in Appetite or Unusual Eating Behavior Topics Discussed: appetite or desire; binge eating disorder; body weight changes; feeding behaviors; feeding disorder of infancy or early childhood; pica disease; rumination; weight reduction. Excerpt: "See Decision Tree. This decision tree covers several disparate symptoms associated with eating: weight and appetite changes, binge eating, rumination, and pica. Because changes in appetite and weight are commonly caused by general medical conditions, your first thought should always be to rule out cancer, endocrine disturbances, chronic infections, and other illnesses before assuming that the symptoms are psychiatric. This is especially the case when weight loss or gain is of major proportions and occurs in conjunction with other physical symptoms. Moreover, changes in appetite and weight (in both directions) are also frequently caused by the use of certain drugs of abuse (especially stimulants and cannabis) and certain prescribed medications. In fact, one of the major reasons for noncompliance with many of the psychotropic medications (e.g., tricyclic antidepressants, lithium, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, neuroleptics) is the fear of weight gain that commonly accompanies their use. Attributing changes in weight can be difficult precisely because many of the conditions treated by these psychotropics..." DOI: 10.1176/appi.books.9781585622658.119073 The content above is only an excerpt. For full access subscribe now or log into your account below. You can also purchase 24- or 48-hour access; learn more Username: Password:     Athens Login FORGOT your subscriber username and/or password? Get a reminder via email: The email I registered with is:  Not a subscriber? Subscribe Today PsychiatryOnline is a powerful website that features DSM-IV-TR® and The American Journal of Psychiatry as the cornerstones of an unsurpassed collection of psychiatric references, including books, journals, and self-assessment tools. PsychiatryOnline’s innovative platform makes these resources easy and convenient to use, offering Precise and powerful searching across books and journals. Quick pathways to related material. Mobile access from any computer with a Web connection. Ability to download any book section to PDA. Links from bibliographic references to the full text of journal articles. References to material not located in the PsychiatryOnline collection lead you to PubMed. Learn more about PsychiatryOnline Need more help? PsychiatryOnline Customer Service may be reached by emailing PsychiatryOnline@psych.org or by calling 800-368-5777 (in the U.S.) or 703-907-7322 (outside the U.S.).