Eating Disorders
What is an eating disorder?
The term eating disorder refers to a group of disorders which have a disturbance in eating behavior that endangers an individual's physical and psychosocial health. Eating disorders are serious mental health problems and can be life-threatening.
- Anorexia Nervosa
- Anorexia nervosa refers to a condition in which a person purposely limits their food intake and refuses to maintain a weight within a healthy range for their height and age. People with Anorexia Nervosa may also binge and purge.
- Bulimia Nervosa
- Bulimia nervosa involves cycles of bingeing and behaviors that follow to prevent weight gain can include: vomiting, use of laxatives, diuretics or involvement in excessive exercise.
- Binge Eating Disorder
- Binge Eating Disorder refers to people who binge eat, but do not attempt to control their weight through unhealthy purging behaviors. As many as one third of people with obesity may have this eating disorder but have gone undiagnosed.
- Eating Disorder NOS (not otherwise specified)
- Eating Disorder NOS (not otherwise specified) is a term used with individuals who have disordered eating behaviors, dissatisfaction with their body weight or shape and harmful weight control behaviors that do not meet full criteria for one of the more severe eating disorders named above.
Facts about Eating Disorders
Approximately 5-10 million females and one million males in the United States struggle with an eating disorder.
Anorexia nervosa is most common in young teens. Bulimia nervosa is most common in older adolescents and young adults. Binge-eating disorder is usually not diagnosed until middle adulthood. The death rate among patients with anorexia and bulimia is 10-20%. Recovery rates are best for people who are diagnosed during adolescence. Adults who have symptoms for more than three years are most difficult to treat.
Risk factors for the development of an eating disorder include:
- a history of dieting
- childhood preoccupation with thinness
- involvement in sports or other activities in which thinness is emphasized
If you are concerned that you or a loved one may have an eating disorder, do not hesitate to have a professional evaluate the situation. Call your primary care medical provider or a mental health provider today. The Teen Health Center at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center has a comprehensive eating disorder treatment program for males and females under the age of 21. Call 513-636-4681 to schedule an evaluation. You may also visit the web site of the National Eating Disorders Association, or for books about eating disorders, www.gurze.net.
Contact us
For additional information on this or any Health Topic, please call the Family Resource Center, 513-636-7606, or your pediatrician.
Rev. 8/04, 6/05, 7/07
