eating disorders

Eating disorders strike nearly 1 in 10 Americans, with the second-highest death rate of all psychiatric disorders. The pandemic's food insecurity, stockpiling and stress are triggering flare-ups.

For Susan Burton, decades of disordered eating was about power. "As long as I was bingeing, I didn't have to think. I didn't have to think about any loss or pain or wanting or yearning."

Women suffer from anxiety at nearly twice the rate of men, and a coalition of women's health groups says all teenage girls and women should be screened.

Whether it's gluten or dairy, many people avoid certain types of foods these days. Sometimes food avoidance can take over people's lives and veer into an eating disorder.

The Affordable Care Act and other U.S. laws sought to put insurance coverage for mental health conditions on equal footing with coverage for physical conditions. But patients say that's not happening.

People with eating disorders are too often portrayed as white, skinny young women. One group is trying to spread the word that eating disorders affect people of every race, gender and body size.

NPR's Michel Martin talks with journalist Soledad O'Brien about her recent reporting on eating disorders among male athletes. O'Brien said social media played a big role in these eating disorders.

Maddy Rich says anorexia is like a dead body chained to her ankle. She gets advice on recovery from Julia Sinn, who got treatment for her eating disorder seven years ago.

For the writer and her sister, the family's tendency to talk about food choices in moral terms triggered an unhealthy obsession with eating and a skewed sense of self-worth.

Eating disorders affect people of all races and ethnicities, but existing research and treatments often don't take into account the cultural factors that come into play in minority communities.

We're not talking steroids here; we're talking about the stuff you can buy at the supermarket. They're not dangerous in themselves. But overuse can signal emotional or physical problems.