There are three main types of eating disorder:
Anorexia nervosa:people with this condition severely restrict their eating in a determined effort to attain and maintain a weight lower than what is normal for their sex and height. They will be preoccupied with thoughts about food and the need to lose weight. They may also exercise excessively. It occurs predominantly among adolescents, affecting about 10 times as many girls as boys.
Bulimia nervosa:this involves repeated episodes of binge eating followed by high-risk behaviour aimed at compensating for the binges, such as self-induced vomiting, fasting, excessive exercising, and the use of laxatives, diuretics or other medications.
Most people with bulimia maintain a normal body weight so it is less obvious than anorexia. Bulimia occurs mainly among women between the ages of 15-25.
Binge eating disorder:repeated episodes of bingeing but without purging are characteristic of this condition.
Over time, this can result in significant weight gain. People find themselves locked into a cycle of dieting, bingeing, self- recrimination and self- loathing.
Unlike the conditions of anorexia and bulimia, binge-eating disorder is thought to be almost as common among men as it is among women.