Eating Disorders & Mental Health: Types, Impacts, & Treatment Options

Eilaf Meenai
September 5, 2025
Authored by: Eilaf Meenai, MD
Edited by: Emma Loker, B.S
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In the United States, an estimated 28.8 million people, which is nearly 9% of the population, experience an eating disorder in their lifetime.1 An eating disorder is an unhealthy relationship with food that has psychological, social, and medical consequences.

Additionally, eating disorders share a two-way relationship with mental health. Poor mental health can trigger disordered eating. At the same time, living with an eating disorder worsens symptoms of depression, social withdrawal, irritability, and suicidal thoughts.2

If you’re concerned that you or someone you care about has an eating disorder, professional support is advised. Mental health and disordered eating can worsen over time without treatment. 

This page can also help raise awareness of eating disorders and the different types, as it covers:

  • What eating disorders are, including causes and risk factors
  • Types of eating disorders
  • The eating disorder diagnosis and assessment process
  • Treatment options for eating disorders
  • Where to find support
Eating Disorders & Mental Health

What Are Eating Disorders?

Eating disorders are psychiatric conditions in which a person faces disturbances in eating behavior, body image, and weight-related thoughts. 

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) classifies eating disorders under “Feeding and Eating Disorders.”3 Unfortunately, they are long-term, relapsing conditions with high morbidity and mortality if left untreated.

In fact, eating disorders carry some of the highest mortality rates among psychiatric illnesses. This is because they impact multiple systems of the body. Mortality can also occur because of medical complications, as well as suicide. For this reason, seeking professional support for an eating disorder is vital. 

Causes and Risk Factors of Eating Disorders

There is no single cause of eating disorders – there are many genetic, biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors that can contribute to their development. Examples of risk factors include:4

  • Family history of eating disorders or other psychiatric conditions
  • Low self-esteem or chronic self-criticism
  • Black-and-white thinking about food and body image
  • History of trauma or abuse
  • Difficulties with emotional regulation
  • Cultural pressures to attain a thin, idealized body type
  • Occupational demands in fields like modeling, athletics, dance, or acting
  • Major life transitions
  • Chronic illness or medical conditions that alter appetite

Types of Eating Disorders and Their Impact on Mental Health

The DSM-5, the standard manual used by mental health professionals worldwide, has an entire section dedicated to eating disorders.3

It lays out the diagnostic criteria for several eating disorders and recognizes that these illnesses don’t fit into a single box but instead exist on a spectrum. Each type has its own defining features and subsequent mental health impact. 

The following are the most common types of eating disorders. 

Anorexia Nervosa

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is defined by persistent energy intake restriction. Naturally, it leads to a low body weight. Besides low weight, a person also typically experiences an intense fear of gaining weight (or persistent behaviour that prevents weight gain), and a distorted experience of body weight. 

Anorexia has one of the highest mortality rates among psychiatric disorders. Unfortunately, people with this condition are several times more likely to die by suicide than the general population.5

The symptoms of AN are both physical and psychological, including: 

  • Extreme weight loss
  • Avoidance of meals
  • Calorie counting
  • Rigid food rituals
  • Excessive exercise
  • Purging behaviors like vomiting or using laxatives

Because of insufficient calorie intake, AN can cause slow heart rate, low blood pressure, brittle bones, loss of menstruation, severe fatigue, and organ damage. 

Research also shows that people with AN have differences in brain circuits tied to reward and self-control. These neural patterns resemble those seen in obsessive-compulsive disorder and anxiety.6 This is probably why patients with anorexia describe feeling “compelled” to eat restrictively or exercise heavily despite knowing the harm.

They also often continue to struggle with depression, anxiety, or obsessive traits even after their weight has normalized. Further, they may risk relapsing into the eating disorder if not supported continuously. 

Bulimia Nervosa

Bulimia nervosa (BN) involves repeated episodes of binge eating followed by compensatory behaviors such as vomiting, misuse of laxatives, fasting, or excessive exercise. It is a cycle of loss of control followed by attempts to undo the eating episode.

Unlike AN, people with bulimia maintain a body weight within or close to the normal range. So, it is more difficult to detect.

Data from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication found that 94.5% of people with bulimia had at least one other mental health disorder during their lifetime.7 Major depression is the most commonly comorbid mental health disorder among those with bulimia. Anxiety disorders, particularly generalized anxiety and social anxiety, are also commonly comorbid with bulimia.

Other estimates suggest that up to 35% of people with bulimia nervosa have attempted suicide at least once.8 The presence of depression, impulsivity, and feelings of guilt and worthlessness after binge-purge episodes likely contributes to these high suicide rates. 

Additionally, a 10-year follow-up study found that even when people achieved remission from bulimic behaviors, many continued to struggle with mental health.9

Binge Eating Disorder

Binge eating disorder (BED) is the most common eating disorder worldwide. People with BED repeatedly consume unusually large amounts of food in a short period. However, in this disorder, binge episodes are not followed by purging or other compensatory behaviors. Depression is the most common comorbidity with binge-eating disorder. 

Studies show that up to 50-60% of people with BED meet criteria for major depressive disorder at some point in their lives.7 Findings also report that those with BED are three to four times more likely to suffer from an anxiety disorder compared to the general population.10

People with BED likely have altered activity in the brain regions involved in craving and impulse regulation. Therefore, you could think of BED as a “food addiction-like” disorder, though the term is debated in psychiatry. 

Other Specified Feeding and Eating Disorder

Other specified feeding and eating disorder, or OSFED, is the diagnosis used when a person’s symptoms do not fit into the boxes of AN, BN, or BED. It involves several presentations, including:

  • Atypical anorexia (where all the features of anorexia nervosa are present but the person is not underweight)
  • Subthreshold bulimia nervosa (binge/purge behaviors occur, but not at the DSM-5 required frequency)
  • Subthreshold binge eating disorder
  • Subthreshold purging disorder
  • Night eating syndrome

These disorders account for the majority of eating disorder cases seen in clinical practice among adolescents and young adults. 

A large U.S. study found that more than 20% of individuals with OSFED reported a history of suicide attempts.11 This may be because people with OSFED experience rates of depression and anxiety comparable to those with anorexia and bulimia. 

In addition, many patients initially diagnosed with OSFED later progressed to anorexia, bulimia, or binge eating disorder.12

Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder

Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) is a relatively new diagnosis. It is an ongoing pattern of restricted food intake that leads to nutritional deficiency, weight loss (or failure to gain weight in children), dependence on supplements, and interference with social functioning.

This disorder is more commonly associated with children than adults. Plus, there is a very high prevalence of anxiety disorders in those with ARFID. When food avoidance is linked to contamination fears, children may also have concurrent obsessive-compulsive symptoms. 

Research has also pointed to a connection between ARFID and neurodevelopmental conditions, particularly autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).13

Diagnosis and Assessment of Eating Disorders

An eating disorder diagnosis looks at both your physical and mental health since these conditions affect the body and mind at the same time. Usually, you’ll meet with both a health care provider and a mental health professional.

First, your provider will check your health and rule out other possible medical causes for your symptoms. This basic physical exam includes measuring weight, blood pressure, and heart rate, and ordering blood tests. In some cases, additional tests like an ECG are done to see if your heart has been affected. Tests may also be done to check for problems with your brain, stomach, hormones, or electrolyte balance.

A mental health professional will talk with you about your eating habits, thoughts about food and body image, and how these thoughts affect your daily life. You may also be asked to complete questionnaires so your provider can understand the severity of your symptoms. 

Treatment Options for Eating Disorders

Medical scientists have unfortunately not yet invented a “miracle pill” or a “quick-fix” option to treat eating disorders and their mental health effects. Recovery is a process that takes time, persistence, and a team of specialists working together.

The current treatment for eating disorders combines medical care, nutritional support, and different forms of psychotherapy. We detail this approach in the following sections.

1. Nutritional Support

Without restoring nutrition, the body and brain cannot recover. A study on adolescents in hospital treatment found that carefully planned meal-based rehabilitation allowed anorexia nervosa patients to gain 0.27 kilograms per day.14 These higher-calorie approaches from the start are both safe and effective.

Support during meals can also be highly potent. Simply sitting with someone during their meals and guiding them through eating can reduce stress and improve intake.

Additionally, nutritional support typically continues even after physical health has been stabilized, since relapses often happen when structure around food is lost.

2. Meditation

Medication is rarely the first-line treatment for eating disorders. Therefore, there is no single “go-to” medication that cures anorexia, bulimia, or binge eating disorder. Instead, medications are used to treat related, co-morbid mental health symptoms.

A 60 mg dose of fluoxetine daily is currently the only FDA-approved drug for bulimia. It significantly reduces both bingeing and purging episodes.15

Similarly, lisdexamfetamine (Vyvanse), originally a drug for ADHD, is the first and only FDA-approved medication for binge-eating disorder.16

However, no medication has been shown to help with weight restoration or the core symptoms of anorexia nervosa.

Anti-depressants (like sertraline or citalopram) are sometimes prescribed for eating disorders and concurrent depression, though the evidence for them is not as strong as the previously mentioned medications.

3. Psychotherapy Approaches

Psychotherapy is the “go-to” and most effective eating disorder treatment. This is because it addresses the underlying thoughts, emotions, and behaviors that keep the disorder in place rather than just managing the symptoms.

For example, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is widely studied for bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder and is the first-line treatment. It targets negative thoughts against eating behaviors and replaces them with healthier coping strategies.17

A newer version, enhanced CBT (CBT-E ), works for all types of eating disorders, with improvements that often last beyond the treatment period.

Children and adolescents who struggle with eating disorders are also frequently involved in family-based therapy (FBT).18 This therapy empowers parents to take an active role in restoring their child’s nutrition and breaking disordered eating patterns.

Then there’s also dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), which was originally studied for borderline personality disorder, but has been used for managing eating disorders.

4. Inpatient and Residential Programs

Some people with eating disorders reach a critical point where their symptoms are too severe to manage with outpatient care. 

For example, when someone with anorexia has dangerously low weight and unstable vital signs, hospitalization may be necessary for their recovery.

For such people, there are structured inpatient programs with medical monitoring, nutritional rehabilitation, and intensive therapy happening under one roof.

There is also residential treatment, which does not focus on acute treatment like inpatient programs do. It is more of an intensive, round-the-clock support in a therapeutic setting. Patients live in the facility, but unlike hospital care, the environment is more home-like.

Treatment for Eating Disorders and Mental Health at Mission Connection

Recovery from an eating disorder is not impossible. While Mission Connection Healthcare doesn’t directly treat eating disorders, our licensed mental health professionals provide compassionate, evidence-based care for the issues that can lead to them. 

Our treatment plans are structured around your needs with outpatient therapy, partial hospitalization program, inpatient treatment, or, if needed, online therapy options.

The moment you reach out to us, we’ll conduct a brief assessment to understand your story and then connect you with a therapist who’s the right fit. You’ll begin your sessions in a safe and supportive environment, with medication management included in your care if necessary. 

Call us today or get started online. 

treatment for eating disorders

References

  1. ANAD. (2023, November 29). Eating disorder statistics | ANAD – National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders. ANAD. https://anad.org/eating-disorder-statistic/
  2. Tan, E. J., Raut, T., Le, L. K. D., & et al. (2023). The association between eating disorders and mental health: An umbrella review. Journal of Eating Disorders, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40337-022-00725-4
  3. American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Feeding and eating disorders. https://www.psychiatry.org/File%20Library/Psychiatrists/Practice/DSM/APA_DSM-5-Eating-Disorders.pdf
  4. Barakat, S., McLean, S. A., Bryant, E., & et al. (2023). Risk factors for eating disorders: Findings from a rapid review. Journal of Eating Disorders, 11(1), 1–31. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40337-022-00717-4
  5. Arcelus, J., Mitchell, A. J., Wales, J., & Nielsen, S. (2011). Mortality rates in patients with anorexia nervosa and other eating disorders: A meta-analysis of 36 studies. Archives of General Psychiatry, 68(7), 724–731. https://doi.org/10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2011.74
  6. Thomas, K. S., Birch, R. E., Jones, C. R. G., & Vanderwert, R. E. (2022). Neural correlates of executive functioning in anorexia nervosa and obsessive–compulsive disorder. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 16. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2022.841633
  7. Hudson, J. I., Hiripi, E., Pope, H. G., & Kessler, R. C. (2007). The prevalence and correlates of eating disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Biological Psychiatry, 61(3), 348–358. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2006.03.040
  8. Smith, A. R., Zuromski, K. L., & Dodd, D. R. (2018). Eating disorders and suicidality: What we know, what we don’t know, and suggestions for future research. Current Opinion in Psychology, 22, 63–67. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2017.08.023
  9. Collings, S., & King, M. (1994). Ten-year follow-up of 50 patients with bulimia nervosa. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 164(1), 80–87. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.164.1.80
  10. Rosenbaum, D. L., & White, K. S. (2013). The role of anxiety in binge eating behavior: A critical examination of theory and empirical literature. Health Psychology Research, 1(2), e19. https://doi.org/10.4081/hpr.2013.e19
  11. Udo, T., Bitley, S., & Grilo, C. M. (2019). Suicide attempts in US adults with lifetime DSM-5 eating disorders. BMC Medicine, 17(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-019-1352-3
  12. Solmi, M., Monaco, F., Højlund, M., & et al. (2024). Outcomes in people with eating disorders: A transdiagnostic and disorder-specific systematic review, meta-analysis and multivariable meta-regression analysis. World Psychiatry, 23(1), 124–138. https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.21182
  13. Nyholmer, M., Wronski, M., Hog, L., & et al. (2025, March 12). Neurodevelopmental and psychiatric conditions in 600 Swedish children with the avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder phenotype. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.14134
  14. Garber, A. K., Mauldin, K., Michihata, N., Buckelew, S. M., Shafer, M. A., & Moscicki, A. B. (2013). Higher calorie diets increase rate of weight gain and shorten hospital stay in hospitalized adolescents with anorexia nervosa. Journal of Adolescent Health, 53(5), 579–584. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2013.07.014
  15. Bello, N. T., & Yeomans, B. L. (2017). Safety of pharmacotherapy options for bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder. Expert Opinion on Drug Safety, 17(1), 17–23. https://doi.org/10.1080/14740338.2018.1395854
  16. Armanious, A. J., Asare, A., Mitchison, D., & James, M. H. (2024). Patient perceptions of lisdexamfetamine as a treatment for binge eating disorder: An exploratory qualitative and quantitative analysis. Psychiatry Research Communications, 4(4), 100195. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psycom.2024.100195
  17. Murphy, R., Straebler, S., Cooper, Z., & Fairburn, C. G. (2010). Cognitive behavioral therapy for eating disorders. Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 33(3), 611–627. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psc.2010.04.004
  18. Loeb, K. L., & Le Grange, D. (2009). Family-based treatment for adolescent eating disorders: Current status, new applications and future directions. International Journal of Child and Adolescent Health, 2(2), 243. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2828763/