Eating disorder – An eating disorder is a mental disorder defined by abnormal eating habits that negatively affect a person’s physical or mental health.[1] They include binge eating disorder where people eat a large amount in a short period of time, anorexia nervosa where people eat very little and thus have a low body weight, bulimia nervosa where people eat a lot and then try to rid themselves of the food, pica where people eat non-food items, rumination disorder where people regurgitate food, avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder where people have a lack of interest in food, and a group of other specified feeding or eating disorders.[1] Anxiety disorders, depression, and substance abuse are common among people with eating disorders.[2] These disorders do not include obesity.[1]

The cause of eating disorders is not clear.[3] Both biological and environmental factors appear to play a role.[2][3] Cultural idealization of thinness is believed to contribute.[3] Eating disorders affect about 12 percent of dancers.[4] Those who have experienced sexual abuse are also more likely to develop eating disorders.[6] Some disorders such as pica and rumination disorder occur more often in people with intellectual disabilities.[1] Only one eating disorder can be diagnosed at a given time.[1]

Treatment can be effective for many eating disorders.[2] This typically involves counselling, a proper diet, a normal amount of exercise, and the reduction of efforts to eliminate food.[2] Hospitalization is occasionally needed.[2] Medications may be used to help with some of the associated symptoms.[2] At five years about 70% of people with anorexia and 50% of people with bulimia recover.[7] Recovery from binge eating disorder is less clear and estimated at 20% to 60%.[7] Both anorexia and bulimia increase the risk of death.[7]

In the developed world binge eating disorder affects about 1.6% of women and 0.8% of men in a given year.[1] Anorexia affects about 0.4% and bulimia affects about 1.3% of young women in a given year.[1] Up to 4% of women have anorexia, 2% have bulimia, and 2% have binge eating disorder at some point in time.[7] Anorexia and bulimia occur nearly ten times more often in females than males.[1] Typically they begin in late childhood or early adulthood.[2] Rates of other eating disorders are not clear.[1] Rates of eating disorders appear to be lower in less developed countries.[8]