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Eating disorders are psychological illnesses in which emotions and thinking patterns cause a person to adopt harmful eating habits. They are often a way of coping with stress or even depression.
UT Southwestern Medical Center’s physicians and researchers have access to the latest scientific findings and treatments for eating disorders that affect children, adolescents and adults, including:
- Anorexia nervosa: This serious eating disorder is found primarily in young women. It is characterized by a fear of weight gain, which leads to poor eating patterns, malnutrition and excessive weight loss. A person is considered anorexic when his or her weight drops to at least 15 percent less than normal body weight.
- Bulimia nervosa: This eating disorder may be accompanied by anorexia nervosa. Bulimics have regular, severe eating binges after which they purge food either by vomiting, using a laxative or diuretic, or by burning excessive amounts of calories through vigorous exercise.
Please visit the Health Library to learn more about eating disorders.
