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An eating disorder is a mental illness in which eating, and thinking about eating, take over a large part of daily life and affect physical health. It is not a phase or a matter of willpower.
The group includes anorexia nervosa, atypical anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder and avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID). The Canadian Paediatric Society states that they affect people of all ages, genders, sexual orientations, racial identities and backgrounds.
The common misconception is that you can tell by looking. Usually you cannot. These conditions often go unrecognised in boys and men, in minority youth, and in people whose bodies look average or larger.
Symptoms differ between diagnoses and change over time.
Some risk factors cannot be changed:
Others can often be worked on with support from a health care team:
Most people are first seen by a family doctor, nurse practitioner or paediatrician, often for something that does not look like an eating disorder, such as tiredness or dizziness. Assessment covers eating patterns, thoughts about body shape, exercise and mood, with a physical examination including heart rate and blood pressure. Blood tests and sometimes an electrocardiogram check for other explanations and effects on the heart.
Clinical research for Eating Disorder is enrolling. See the current studies
Care is usually shared between a primary care provider, a dietitian and a mental health clinician. A team may discuss:
These are decisions for you and your own clinician, and this page is not a recommendation about any of them.
Canada does not measure these conditions well: in June 2025 the Public Health Agency of Canada called, in its own journal, for better measurement of eating disorders in federal surveillance. Access is the other problem, with only about 25% of affected young people receiving appropriate treatment, according to the CHEO Research Institute. Studies in Canada are testing early intervention in community and primary care settings, and better ways to identify these conditions where they are missed.
Taking part in a study is voluntary, informed consent comes first, and you can stop at any time without affecting the care you get from your own doctor. No one can tell in advance whether a study will help you personally.
This page is written in plain language for people considering clinical research. It is general health information, not medical advice, and it does not replace a conversation with your own doctor or nurse practitioner.
No. The Canadian Paediatric Society states that eating disorders affect people of all ages, genders, sexual orientations, racial and ethnic identities and socioeconomic backgrounds. It also warns that eating disorders are frequently missed in boys and men, in sexual and racial minority youth, in children before puberty, and in people whose bodies look average or larger, and that the medical risks in those groups are similar. Diagnosed rates in Canada are higher in girls, but a diagnosed rate reflects who reaches an assessment as much as who is affected.
Often not. Many people with an eating disorder look no different from anyone else, which is one reason these conditions go unrecognised for a long time. Canadian guidance points clinicians towards the pattern of eating and thinking, the effect on daily life, and physical signs such as heart rate, blood pressure and, in young people, a change in expected growth, rather than appearance alone. If something has changed in how you or someone you care about eats, thinks about food, or takes part in daily life, that is reason enough to raise it with a health care provider.
Because there is a lot Canada does not yet know. The Public Health Agency of Canada published a call in 2025 for better national measurement of eating disorders, and researchers at the CHEO Research Institute report that only about 25% of affected young people receive appropriate treatment. Trials are testing early intervention delivered in community and primary care settings, treatments for adults and for diagnoses that have been studied less, and better ways to identify these conditions in groups where they are missed. Participation is voluntary, informed consent comes first, and you can withdraw at any time without affecting your regular care. No one can say in advance whether a study will help you personally.
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