The two main types of eating
disorders are anorexia nervosa
and bulimia nervosa. A third
category is “eating disorders not
otherwise specified (EDNOS),”
which includes several variations
of eating disorders. Most of these
disorders are similar to anorexia
or bulimia but with slightly
different characteristics. Bingeeating
disorder, which has received
increasing research and
media attention in recent years,
is one type of EDNOS.
Eating disorders frequently
appear during adolescence or
young adulthood, but some
reports indicate that they can
develop during childhood or later
in adulthood. Women and girls
are much more likely than males
to develop an eating disorder.
Men and boys account for an
estimated 5 to 15 percent of
patients with anorexia or bulimia
and an estimated 35 percent of
those with binge-eating disorder