Although anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are probably the best-known expressions of this condition, there are many kinds of eating disorders, some more extreme than others. Compulsive eating, compulsive dieting, binge eating, comfort eating, laxative abuse, and faddy eating are all forms of eating disorder.

People with eating disorders do not like food; for them it is an addiction. Anorexics regard it as an enemy to be avoided at all costs. Bulimics choose food that will be easy to regurgitate; binge eaters will eat whatever is in the refrigerator or cupboards, however unappetizing it may be; comfort eaters choose indulgent, easy-to-eat foods - cookies, cakes, candies, white bread, all of which produce short-term contentment by releasing serotonins in the brain.

Such distorted views of food and eating are different in every individual case and often have their roots in family history. Anorexia nervosa, for example; is characteristically associated with adolescent girls who suffer from low self-esteem and who may feel powerless in their relationship with the rest of the family. There are other factors that affect young people with this disorder; it is argued, with some success, that outside pressures have a great effect especially on adolescents who feel under pressure to conform to the current popular notion that "thin is beautiful."

However, other eating disorders will also respond to an examination of this area; staying fat in a world where thin is considered beautiful may allow you to step out of the arena of courtship, which may be a goal for people who are uncomfortable with sexual relationships. Deciding to be fat may be a form of revenge, especially in a mother-daughter relationship where the mother has been too dominant. Counseling and psychotherapy from a trained practitioner can help these cases, once the reason why the decision to either eat yourself to obesity or to starve yourself into a nonperson have been addressed.

Very few cases have a physical origin, although naturopaths and nutritionists may make a careful analysis of thyroid activity to see if any minor imbalance in the production of thyroxine may be causing excess weight gain or loss. People who eat for comfort may respond to a course of enjoyable exercise to produce serotonin. Once they have done that, a sensible eating regime can be established, and they can address the problem of why they are unhappy from a more rational standpoint.

However, once recovery is underway, a naturopath or nutritionist should be consulted to help establish a healthy, enjoyable, and nutritious diet and to prescribe supplements to support recovery and maintain the new status.