Which disorder is characterized by an irrational fear of gaining weight?

• A. Bulimia Nervosa
• B. Generalized Anxiety Disorder
• C. Anorexia Nervosa
• D. Panic Disorder

Answer: (C)

The key idea here is an intense, irrational fear of gaining weight that drives eating behavior. In anorexia nervosa, this fear leads to deliberate restriction of food intake and a persistent preoccupation with weight and body shape, often resulting in significantly low body weight for age and height. The fear is not simply general worry; it centers specifically on weight gain and body image, shaping the person’s decisions about food and activity.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder involves pervasive worry across many areas of life, not specifically about weight. Panic Disorder centers on recurrent panic attacks and the fear of having more attacks, again not tied to body weight. Bulimia nervosa can include concern about weight, but its defining pattern is recurrent binge eating followed by compensatory behaviors (like purging or excessive exercise), with weight that often remains normal or fluctuates, rather than the sustained underweight and restriction seen in anorexia nervosa.

So the disorder that best matches the description of an irrational fear of gaining weight as its defining feature is anorexia nervosa.