What are Eating Disorders? Eating disorders involve serious
disturbances in eating behavior, such as extreme and unhealthy
reduction of food intake or severe overeating, as well as
feelings of distress or extreme concern about body shape or
weight. Eating disorders are not due to a failure of will or
behavior; rather, they are real, treatable medical illnesses.
The main types of eating disorders are anorexia nervosa and
bulimia nervosa. A third type, binge-eating disorder, has been
suggested but has not yet been approved as a formal psychiatric
diagnosis. Eating disorders frequently develop during
adolescence or early adulthood, but some reports indicate their
onset can occur during childhood or later in adulthood. Eating
disorders frequently co-occur with other psychiatric disorders
such as depression, substance abuse, and anxiety disorders.
Females are much more likely than males to develop an eating
disorder. Only an estimated 5 to 15 percent of people with
anorexia or bulimia and an estimated 35 percent o