Other forms of disordered eating, such as compulsive overeating, are not generally thought to be as severe as bulimia and anorexia. Bulimia nervosa is more common and involves binging and purging. Anexoria nervosa consists of self-starvation and emaciation caused by severe dieting or by purging. Anorexics can lose from as little as 15 percent to as much as 60 percent of their normal body weight. At least 90 percent of reported cases of eating disorders are women, but the rates in men seem to be growing.
Men are much more likely to conceal their disease, thus are less lkikely to be diagnosed.
What causes an eating disorder is different for each person. In most cases, a combination of factors, including genetics, are at fault. There is usually no single cause for disordered eating. The mildest forms we see usually stem from stressing over exams, busy schedules and general college life. It is not all about the thinness and the image from the media.