The concept of obsession with body image as a motivating factor for excessive fasting did not emerge until the mid-1960s, and it was not until 1980 that body image disturbance was formally included as a diagnostic criterion in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders published by the American Psychiatric Association.
Koncept extrémneho starania sa o svoj telesný výzor ako motivácia pre extrémne hladovanie sa neobjavil pred 60timi rokmi a až po 1980 sa porušenie vnímania telesného vzhľadu formálne zaviedlo do „Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders“ publikovaného Americkou psychiatrickou asociáciou.