binge-eating disorder

It's not always clear where the line is between a healthy weight-loss diet and an eating disorder. It's important to be aware of the facts about eating disorders, both to help those around you who might be ill (without you necessarily realising) - and to make sure that you set up healthy, not dangerous, habits in your own eating.

But there's a lot of confusion about eating disorders - people are often unsure what they are, and can even label illnesses such as anorexia nervosa as "faddy eating" or "attention seeking". Here's the facts, and how to get help if you or a friend is suffering.

The spotlight on skinny models continues to spark debate and discussion. What exactly is skinny? Is it an issue? Is there really a link between media imagery and eating disorders?

Why bother focusing on thinness when an estimated 66% of Americans are either overweight or obese?

NEDA suggests as many as 10 million females and 1 million males have eating disorders - but their statistics are 10-15 years old.

What is EDNOS? It is an acronym for an "Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified". To be honest, chronic dieting can sit squarely within that definition. Constance Rhodes, author of Life Inside the Thin Cage, describes EDNOS in some depth.