Eating disorders

Eating disorders are a notable source of morbidity and only a minority present for treatment. Patients with anorexia nervosa are characterised by: a relentless pursuit of thinness, resulting in weight loss or failure to gain weight during growth; a refusal to maintain a normal body weight; an extreme fear of gaining weight or becoming fat; amenorrhoea, in women; in some, binge eating and/or extreme weight control behaviours such as self-induced vomiting or laxative abuse