Consideraciones psiquiátricas de los trastornos de la conducta alimentaria: anorexia y bulimia

anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and the unspecific disorders of eating behavior are behavioral alterations associated with body image and the act of eating. these disorders have been considered as consequences of the idolatry to be thin, although history reveals they have existed for a long time. eating disorders have been described from different perspectives and have recently been studied from a scientific perspective. their complex nature and origin involves biological, psychological and social factors. according to the classification proposed by the american psychiatric association and found in the diagnostic and statistic manual of mental disorders (dsm-iv-tr), eating disorders are divided into specific and unspecific disorders; anorexia and bulimia are included in the group of specific disorders. this paper reviews some of the psychiatric aspects about the concept, epidemiology, ethiopathogeny, differential diagnoses, evolution and generalities of eating disorders treatment.