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Abstract
[...] binge eating disorder is often associated with obesity. Investigators of a study of a large sample of American children aged 9-14 years reported that 7.1% of boys and 13.4% of girls displayed disordered eating behaviours.35 The pivotal effect on health has led to the inclusion of eating disorders among the priority mental illnesses for children and adolescents identified by WHO.36 Eating disorders have been reported worldwide both in developed regions and emerging economies such as Brazil and China.37,38 The lifetime prevalence of eating disorders in adults is about 0.6% for anorexia nervosa, 1% for bulimia nervosa, and 3% for binge eating disorder.19,20 Women are more affected than are men, and the sex differences in lifetime prevalence in adults could be less substantial than that quoted in standard texts: 0.9% for anorexia nervosa, 1.5% for bulimia nervosa, and 3.5% for binge eating disorder in women; and 0.3%, 0.5%, and 2.0%, respectively, in men.20 Many people with eating disorders, who were detected in community studies in the USA, do not seek treatment.20 Pathogenesis A comprehensive review published in 2004 summarised the risk factors for eating disorders,39 and a position paper from the Academy of Eating Disorders outlined the evidence supporting these diseases as biologically-based forms of severe mental illnesses.40 In this section we draw attention to some present areas of emphasis.