Eating disorder Eating disorder An eating disorder is a mental disorder defined by abnormal eating habits that negatively affect a person's physical or mental health. They include binge eating disorder where people eat a large amount in a short period of time, anorexia nervosa where people eat very little and thus have a low body weight, bulimia nervosa where people eat a lot and then try to rid themselves of the food, pica where people eat non-food items, rumination disorder where people regurgitate food, avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder where people have a lack of interest in food, and a group of other
Eating disorders and development added as an eating disorder diagnosis in DSM-V. Previously individuals with binge eating disorder had been classified under eating disorder not otherwise specified. Due to the recency of the diagnosis, less research is currently available on Binge Eating Disorder compared to the other categories of eating disorders. The average age of onset is reported to be 25 years. Binge eating disorder is characterized by repeated binge eating episodes. This includes: The severity is classified by the number of binge eating episodes per week. Eating disorders and development Eating disorders typically peak at specific periods in development, notably sensitive and transitional