Anorexia Nervosa is an eating disorder that makes people lose more weight than is considered healthy for their age and height. Persons with this disorder may see themselves as overweight or have an intense fear of weight gain, even when they are dangerously underweight. They may diet or exercise too much, or use other methods to lose weight. Behaviors to restrict their intake of food may include cutting food into small pieces or moving them around on the plate instead of eating them, or refusing to eat around others. This can lead to thinning of the bones, brittle hair and nails, constipation, multi-organ failure and infertility.

Binge eating is when a person eats a much larger amount of food in a shorter period of time than he or she normally would. A binge eater may eat 5,000 to 15,000 calories in one sitting. Binge eating may occur on its own or with another eating disorder, such a bulimia, often forcing themselves to purge, take laxatives, or exercise excessively. Binge-eating disorder is the most common eating disorder in the United States.

Bulimia is an illness in which a person repeatedly binges on food or has regular episodes of overeating and feels a loss of control. The person then uses different methods to compensate for the binge-eating, such as vomiting or abusing laxatives, or excessively exercising to prevent weight gain. Symptoms may include a chronically inflamed and sore throat, gastrointestinal problems, severe dehydration and worn tooth enamel as a result of exposure to stomach acid.