[Disorders of eating behavior--early detection and treatment possibilities in general practice]

According to recent epidemiological investigations, one-third of younger women perceive themselves to be overweight. A quarter show disturbed eating habits such as continuous dieting, compulsive calorie counting or ruminations about eating and body weight. The ratio of young women to men with eating disorders is 10:1. Eating disorders, like other psychosomatic disorders, have a multifactorial origin. Biological, psychological, interpersonal and sociocultural factors are of varying importance in the development of the disorder. Apart from somatic aspects, the psychological component is of particular importance not only for the assessment of severity, but also for prognosis. Because patients with anorectic features often refuse help and patients with bulimia often suffer from a sense of shame and guilt, it is the physician's chore to note symptoms relevant to the clinical picture and to outline possibilities for therapeutic intervention. Furthermore, in the treatment of eating disorders it is important to recognise personal limitations and to decide upon appropriate treatment measures in collaboration with the patient when possible.