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Patient Education: Diseases Conditions Treatments & Procedures

Eating Disorders

Introduction

Eating disorders are characterized by a preoccupation with weight that results in severe disturbances in eating and other behaviors. Eating disorders include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge-eating disorder. Other variations of eating disorders occur, such as purging without bingeing, chewing and spitting without purging, and anorexic behavior with less severe weight loss.

Most people with eating disorders are females. Males also can develop eating disorders, but do so less frequently. The exception is binge-eating disorder, which appears to affect almost as many males as females.

Treatments for eating disorders may involve nutrition education, psychotherapy, family counseling and medications.