[Eating disorders in childhood and adolescence. Anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder].

The most important eating disorders are anorexia and bulimia, which most frequently occur for the first time during adolescence and continue into adulthood. Medical complications and accompanying psychological disturbances cause a significant mortality rate of up to 6% in anorexia and up to 3% in bulimia. The pathogenesis of eating disorders is still unclear. Current etiological concepts are multidimensional including biological, individual, familial, and sociocultural factors. In spite of a great variety of therapeutic possibilities, the prognosis for eating disorders is quite poor. In the long term, only about 50% of the persons affected overcome their illness. Preventive measures are therefore indispensable.