Building the Concept of Orthorexia Nervosa During the Diagnostics of Eating Disorders in the Russian Context

In modern society, taking care of one's own health is taken for granted, however, excessive fixation on wellness practices can also become a provocateur of a new disorder, for example, an eating disorder. The focus of this work is on the mechanism of constructing the concept of "orthorexia nervosa" in medical discourse in Russia and the practices forming around it in the community of mental health specialists. The study analyzed the theoretical discussion around the phenomenon of medicalization and ideology called "healthism". The aim of the study is to analyze how specialists working with ED and the concept of "orthorexia nervosa" in the absence of the term in disease classifications and appropriate criteria for diagnosis. The analysis of empirical material was conducted on the basis of expert semi-structured interviews with practitioners in the field: psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, psychotherapists and those with experience working with ED. As a result of the analysis, four models of conceptualization were identified: prescribed, "human-oriented", a model of overcoming uncertainty and a model of deviation from the rules.