Eating Disorders – Introduction

Food intake has always been one of man’s main everyday concerns. Meal time is an invitation to family members to get together and communicate. Food is as important to man as the absence of measure in its intake, whether in the form of excessive food consumption, as in the case of obesity, occasional overeating and bulimia nervosa, or in the form of intentionally induced food deprivation, as in the case of anorexia nervosa.

Despite the great progress made in recent years in coping with various severe diseases, modern society starts coming in touch with an epidemic difficult to resolve, the one of eating disorders. In spite of the fact that anorexia and bulimia nervosa are of feminine gender, mostly affecting teenage girls, recently there has been an increase in eating disorder cases, not only in children and adults but also in males.

Genetic, psychological and environmental factors contribute to the development of eating disorders. First degree relatives of individuals suffering from anorexia or bulimia nervosa are more likely to develop an eating disorder. According to recent research findings, hormonal and neurological factors may also contribute to the development of these disorders. Family structure, personality traits, stress, puberty and social-cultural factors may also contribute to the onset and maintenance of the disorder.