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Eating Disorders

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The term eating disorders refers to a variety of disorders. The common feature of all the eating disorders is abnormal eating behaviors. Eating disorders are serious mental health problems and can be life threatening.

Facts about eating disorders
  • Between 3 and 5 percent of all adolescent females have a diagnosable eating disorder.
  • Anorexia is much more common among females, however, males account for between 4 and 10 percent of adolescents diagnosed with eating disorders.
  • The highest death rate (between 5 and 10 percent) among all of the child and adolescent mental health disorders can be attributed to anorexia and bulimia.
  • Among adolescents with eating disorders, 20 to 40 percent also have obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

    • Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are common eating disorders of adolescents and young adults. Obesity may also be included as an eating disorder and can affect all ages including children and adolescents.

    There are many different types of eating disorders that require clinical care by a physician or other healthcare professional. Listed in the directory below are some, for which we have provided a brief overview.

    If you cannot find the information in which you are interested, please visit the Growth and Development Related Web sites page to view a list that may contain additional information on that topic.

    Anorexia Nervosa
    Bulimia Nervosa

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