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What Are Eating Disorders?

Reviewed by Psychology Today Staff

Eating disorders are psychological conditions characterized by unhealthy, obsessive, or disordered eating habits. Eating disorders come with both emotional and physical symptoms and include anorexia nervosa (voluntary starvation), bulimia nervosa (binge-eating followed by purging), binge-eating disorder (binge-eating without purging), and other or unspecified eating disorders (disordered eating patterns that do not fit into another category).

Eating disorders occur more frequently in affluent cultures than in non-affluent ones, but they are not exclusive to the well-off. A disproportionate number of those diagnosed are young women in their teens and 20s, but anyone-including young men and older adults of any gender-can develop an eating disorder. Eating disorders often become all-consuming, forcing the afflicted to focus on eating (or not eating) to the exclusion of much else in their life.

Biological factors, social and interpersonal pressures, and family history are some of the factors associated with eating disorders. Culturally mediated body-image concerns and personality traits like perfectionism and obsessiveness also play a large role in the disorders, which are often accompanied by depression or anxiety.

Treatment is rarely simple. Eating disorders may create additional medical problems and can even be acutely life-threatening, requiring hospitalization and forced nourishment. It often takes multidisciplinary teams of health professionals-including psychotherapists, medical doctors, and specialized dietitians or nutritionists-to bring about full recovery.

For more on eating disorders, see the Diagnosis Dictionary or find a treatment center near you.

What Is Anorexia?

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Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder marked by an extreme obsession with weight loss or exercise. It is especially prevalent among young to middle-aged women, and increasingly among young men, but it can affect anyone at any age.

Characterized by a distorted sense of body image and extreme voluntary starvation or overexercising-and closely associated with perfectionism and depression-it is the most deadly psychiatric disorder. The most common behavioral signs of anorexia include extreme dieting, obsessive food rituals, and secretive and antisocial behavior.

Anorexia is highly resistant to treatment and is often accompanied by anxiety and depression. Treatment may include cognitive behavioral therapy, medication, nutrition education and management, and family-based therapies, all of which may take place at specialized eating-disorder centers.

If the condition becomes life-threatening, the only recourse may be hospitalization with forced feeding, which may create ethical and legal dilemmas for all caregivers involved.

For more, see Anorexia Nervosa.

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What Is Bulimia?

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Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder marked by frequent cycles of binge-eating excessive amounts of food, followed by purging. Purging is usually done by self-induced vomiting but may sometimes include the use of laxatives, diuretics, or non-purging compensatory behaviors, such as fasting or overexercising.

The disorder typically begins during adolescence, but it can also develop earlier or later. Regardless of age, it can be difficult to identify because those with bulimia are often secretive about their eating and purging habits. Although many people with bulimia are overweight, they generally have an intense fear of weight gain and often suffer anxiety, depression, and poor self-esteem.

Signs of bulimia include unusual eating behaviors, constant weight fluctuation, frequent use of the bathroom, and avoidance of social events. Treatment usually includes cognitive-behavioral or other forms of psychotherapy, antidepressant medication, and nutrition counseling.

For more, see Bulimia Nervosa.

What Is Binge Eating Disorder?

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Binge-eating disorder is marked by recurrent episodes of extreme overeating not accompanied by compensatory behavior; as a result, those with the disorder are often overweight or obese.

People with this disorder tend to eat much more rapidly than normal and don't stop until feeling uncomfortably full. They may consume large amounts of food even when they're not hungry. They often eat alone bec

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