Eating disorders are numerous and cause damage to both physical health and psychosocial behavior. In recent years we have noticed an emergence of the problem in very early stages of age: in this case we speak of juvenile anorexia. We are witnessing an atypical phenomenon: eating disorders are also increasing in type. In recent years, anorexia has become the leading cause of juvenile death, overcoming road accidents: attention is therefore needed to this emerging problem.

Anorexia consists in a refusal of food, which leads to extreme thinness, loss of the menstrual cycle, with constant concern for calorie intake. It is combined with excessive physical exercise, practiced not for the pleasure of physical movement but for the constant search for weight loss.

Bulimia is compulsive eating. Bulimic crises occur in solitude, and the binges continue until the individual feels full and sick. A bulimia crisis is associated with a feeling of being out of control. It can be followed by episodes of dietary restriction. Self-assessment is based exclusively on nutrition, weight and body shape.