Adolescent eating disorders: update on definitions, symptomatology, epidemiology, and comorbidity

Abstract

The prevalence of eating disorders among adolescents continues to increase. The starvation process itself is often associated with severe alterations of central and peripheral metabolism, affecting overall health during this vulnerable period. This article aims to convey basic knowledge on these frequent and disabling disorders, and to review new developments in classification issues resulting from the transition to DSM-5. A detailed description is given of the symptomatology of each eating disorder that typically manifests during adolescence. New data on epidemiology, and expanding knowledge on associated medical and psychiatric comorbidities and their often long-lasting sequelae in later life, are provided.

Keywords: Adolescence; Anorexia nervosa; Binge-eating disorder; Bulimia nervosa; Comorbidity; Diagnostic classification; Epidemiology.