human
My friend says that he has an eating disorder. What is it?
assistant
Eating disorders are mental illnesses that involve abnormal or disturbed eating habits. Common symptoms include excessive food restriction, binge eating, and purging behaviors such as vomiting, laxatives, or diuretics. Anorexia nervosa is the most severe form of an eating disorder, characterized by self-starvation and a distorted body image. Bulimia nervosa involves repeated episodes of binge eating followed by inappropriate methods to rid oneself of calories, such as vomiting or using laxatives. Other less common forms of eating disorders include Binge Eating Disorder (BED), Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) and pica.