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Eating Disorders Are Treatable--But First You Have To Ask For Help
Eating disorders--from mild to extreme--are complex psychological disorders in which your eating patterns are developed and then habitually maintained in an attempt to cope with other problems in your life. Eating disorders frequently co-occur with depression, substance abuse, and anxiety disorders--and can also put you at high risk of a wide range of physical health complications.
Teens and Eating Disorders
For reasons that are unclear, some people--mainly young women--develop potentially life-threatening eating disorders called bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa. People with bulimia, known as bulimics, indulge in bingeing (episodes of eating large amounts of food) and purging (getting rid of the food by vomiting or using laxatives). People with anorexia, whom doctors sometimes call anorectics, severely limit their food intake. About half of them also have bulimia symptoms.
More Specifics on Eating Disorders
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 | Could
you have Anorexia? |
| Each year, more than 5 million
American women, men, adolescents, and even children suffer from
serious eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa, binge-eating,
bulimia nervosa, compulsive eating, obesity, and pica.
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| Getting Help - The Sooner the Better |
The sooner eating disorders are
diagnosed and treated, the better the outcomes are likely to
be. The longer abnormal eating behaviors persist, the more difficult
it is to overcome the disorder and its effects on the body.
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