Eating and sleep disorders: night eating syndrome: practice question

A Psychiatry question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

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Psychiatry · Eating and sleep disorders: night eating syndrome

Sample item

A 35-year-old woman has little appetite in the morning but eats more than a quarter of her daily intake after dinner and wakes most nights to eat. She is fully aware and remembers each episode, and is distressed by it. What is the most likely diagnosis?

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

C. Night eating syndrome

Night eating syndrome is evening hyperphagia and nocturnal awakenings with eating, with full awareness and recall, morning anorexia and distress. Sleep-related eating disorder is a parasomnia in which eating occurs during partial arousal with little or no awareness.

Option by option

  • A. Bulimia nervosa

    Bulimia nervosa has compensatory behaviours such as purging, which are not described.

  • B. Binge eating disorder

    Binge eating disorder involves discrete episodes of large intake with loss of control at any time of day.

  • C. Night eating syndrome (correct)

    Correct. Evening hyperphagia with awake, recalled night eating is night eating syndrome.

  • D. Sleep-related eating disorder

    Sleep-related eating disorder involves eating while partly asleep with poor recall.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

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Questions about this Psychiatry question

What is the answer to this Psychiatry question?

The best answer is C, Night eating syndrome. Night eating syndrome is evening hyperphagia and nocturnal awakenings with eating, with full awareness and recall, morning anorexia and distress.

Why is "Bulimia nervosa" not the answer?

Bulimia nervosa has compensatory behaviours such as purging, which are not described.

Why is "Binge eating disorder" not the answer?

Binge eating disorder involves discrete episodes of large intake with loss of control at any time of day.

Why is "Sleep-related eating disorder" not the answer?

Sleep-related eating disorder involves eating while partly asleep with poor recall.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Eating and sleep disorders: night eating syndrome in Psychiatry. Sleep-related eating disorder is a parasomnia in which eating occurs during partial arousal with little or no awareness.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as a multi-step question: it asks you to combine more than one idea. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Eating and sleep disorders: night eating syndrome?

Learn each diagnosis by its core features and its first-line treatment. Then use the flashcards and the other Psychiatry questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.