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Article: Eating Disorders; Overview.(Disease/Disorder overview)
- Article from:
- NWHRC Health Center - Eating Disorders
- Article date:
- March 16, 2005
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 National Women's Health Resource Center. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Eating disorders are devastating mental illnesses that affect more than 7 million American women. Ninety percent of the people who suffer from the eating disorders Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa are women, according to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders. Although they revolve around eating and body weight, eating disorders aren't entirely about food, but also about feelings and self-expression. Women with eating disorders can use food and dieting as ways of coping with life's stresses. For some, food becomes a source of comfort and nurturing, or a way to control or release stress. For others, losing weight is a way to gain the ...