They deny depression or anxiety as long as they are allowed to diet. Starvation causes muscles wasting, edema, hypoproteinemia, amenorrhea, increased cortisol levels, bradycardia, hypotension and, ultimately, death. Treatment of starvation itself leads to many complications. Rapid refeeding leads to aspiration pneumonia and esophageal or gastric rupture. Over half of anorexics recover fully or partially.
Some patients recover from anorexia but develop other psychiatric disorders.
About of anorexics remain chronic. A typical bulimic patient is a young woman. They are also of average or slightly above average weight. These patients often ingest excessive quantities of high calorie, sweet, fattening foods followed by purging behavior, which typically consists of self-induced vomiting or using emetics or laxatives. These episodes of binge eating usually follow a psychologically stressful situation.