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What are Eating Disorders?
Given that many cultures combine a love of food and eating with an intense pressure to achieve and/or maintain a 'thin ideal' (especially among females), it is perhaps unsurprising that this aspect of human behavior is subject to disorder. Although dieting to lose weight is quite common, fortunately far fewer people will suffer from eating disorders throughout their lifetimes (less than 7% of the general population).
Eating disorders are characterized by abnormal eating behaviors, maladaptive and often harmful efforts to control one's body shape or weight, and severe disturbances in one's perceived body image. Research has suggested that the female:male sex ratio of the prevalence of the two principal eating disorders,
anorexia nervosa and
bulimia nervosa, are approximately 10:1. Please refer to the right menu box for more information and to learn about the best-supported treatment options for each disorder.
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