Eating disorders are serious psychiatric illnesses that are frequently misunderstood. They typically begin during adolescence or early adulthood, a time when young people are heading to college or interviewing for a first job. Many people recover fully from eating disorders, but others become chronically ill, and symptoms persist into middle age and beyond. Eating Disorders: What Everyone Needs to Know answers common questions about eating disorders,
including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder, as well as a newly described condition, avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID).