Eating disorders

An eating disorder is an illness that causes serious disturbances in your daily diet, such as eating very small amounts or overeating. A person who has an eating disorder may have started out by eating small or large amounts of food, but at some point the urge to eat more or less spiraled out of control. Severe distress or concern about body shape or weight can also be characterized as an eating disorder.

Eating disorders generally appear during adolescence or young adulthood, but they can also occur during childhood or late adulthood. The most common eating disorders are anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder.

Eating disorders affect both men and women. For information on the latest statistics on eating disorders, visit the NIMH website.

It is unknown how many adults and children suffer from other serious and significant eating disorders, such as eating disorders not otherwise specified (EDS). NEED includes eating disorders that do not meet the criteria for anorexia or bulimia nervosa. Binge eating disorder is a type of eating disorder called BED. But NEED is known to be the most common diagnosis for those seeking eating disorder treatment.

Eating disorders are real and treatable illnesses. They often coexist with other illnesses such as depression, substance abuse, or anxiety disorders. Other symptoms, described in the next section, can be life-threatening if the person does not receive treatment. People with anorexia nervosa are 18 times more likely to die at a younger age compared to people of similar age in the general population.