Eating Disorders

Anorexia; Binge Eating; Bulimia; Eating Disorder

An eating disorder is a compulsion to eat in a way which disturbs physical health. The eating may be excessive (compulsive over-eating); too limited (restricting); may include normal eating punctuated with episodes of purging; may include cycles of binging and purging; or may encompass the ingesting of non-foods. The best-known eating disorders are Anorexia nervosa and Bulimia nervosa. There are numerous theories as to the causes and mechanisms leading to eating disorders. The two most commo ...