WISCONSIN UNITED
for MENTAL HEALTH

Eating disorders are serious, sometimes life-threatening, conditions that tend to be chronic. They usually arise in adolescence and disproportionately affect females. About 3 percent of young women have one of the three main eating disorders: anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, or binge-eating disorder. Anorexia nervosa involves an irrational fear of becoming fat and self-starvation. Bulimia and binge-eating disorders both involve binging on large amounts of caloric foods, but persons with bulimia also purge the unwanted calories, most often by vomiting or laxative use.

The causes of eating disorders are not known with precision but are thought to be a combination of genetic, neurochemical, psychodevelopmental, and sociocultural factors. Comorbid mental disorders are exceedingly common, but interrelationships are poorly understood. Comorbid disorders include affective disorders (especially depression), anxiety disorders, substance abuse, and personality disorders.  Controlled studies in adolescents are rare for any eating disorder.