Eating disorders are defined by unusual eating behaviors resulting in mental and physical suffering. In the absence of care, these behaviors can have irreversible consequences on the body. How to recognize these psychiatric disorders? What are they due to? What support do they receive?
According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), eating disorders include four distinct entities: anorexia nervosa, bulimia, binge eating disorder, and other specified eating disorders. Sometimes referred to as eating disorders, these disorders – all taken together – affect nearly 10% of the population:
The clinical manifestations vary according to the type of eating disorder:
Food intake is greatly influenced by our mental and physical health. It is not uncommon, in fact, to see one’s appetite increased duringa little depression or, on the contrary, decreased during a viral infection. If these transient fluctuations are considered normal, they are no longer so when they persist over time, and when they generate significant suffering. According to specialists, eating disorders have multifactorial origins, in which genetic, psychological, environmental, (…)