Russell-Mayhew, ShellyVos, Sally2022-07-112022-07-112022-06Vos, S. (2022). Not the typical eating disorder: moving beyond stereotypes of anorexia nervosa (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.http://hdl.handle.net/1880/114826Eating Disorders (EDs) are a classification of biopsychosocial disorders with serious and potentially fatal consequences. Atypical anorexia nervosa (AAN) is a diagnosis used by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (5th ed.) to describe an ED occurring when an individual meets the criteria for anorexia nervosa (AN) while maintaining a weight that is “within or above the normal range,” despite significant weight loss. Researchers have established that AAN is equally as serious from a medical perspective when compared to AN. Despite an increasing number of adolescents presenting to ED treatment facilities with AAN, no research has specifically explored the perspectives of individuals who have experienced AAN during their adolescence. In this study, interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was used to examine how participants made sense of their past experiences of AAN and the meanings that they derived from these experiences. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews which were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed. Five superordinate themes were identified: (a) the search for belonging, (b) caregiver influence, (c) not the typical eating disorder, (d) diagnosis: a double-edged sword, and (e) there’s no “one size fits all” approach. Taken together, these findings have important implications for the detection and treatment of AAN, counselling psychology, ED nosology, and future research.engUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.eating disordersatypical anorexia nervosainterpretative phenomenological analysisEducational PsychologyPsychologymaster thesis10.11575/PRISM/39894