From Mental Health America
http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/conditions/7-important-facts-about-eating-disorders
7 Important Facts About Eating Disorders
1. They are serious mental illnesses.Eating disorders can have serious consequences for health, productivity, and relationships. Eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder are bio-psycho-social diseases – not fads, phases, or lifestyle choices.
2. They are not just women’s disorders.
Eating disorders affect both men and women, even though they are often thought of as disorders pertaining mostly to women. Men and women both feel pressure to look a certain way, which can influence the development of an eating disorder.
3. They are life consuming.
Eating disorders impact all aspects of someone’s life – relationships with family members, friends, and coworkers, as well as functioning in academic settings and the workplace. Thoughts, emotions, attitudes, and behaviors regarding weight and food issues are constant for those with eating disorders, and it can make it impossible to live a normal life.
Continue reading on Mental Health America…