The desire to be thin can sometimes lead to a life-and-death battle with an eating disorder such as anorexia or bulimia.

About ten million females and one million males in the U.S. suffer from eating disorders, while striving to have thin bodies like models and movie stars. Dr. Shyam Bhat, assistant professor of internal medicine and psychiatry at SIU School of Medicine in Springfield, says eating disorders may signal serious emotional and physical problems and can have life-threatening consequences. They are more common in young women, but people of all ages can be affected. He describes the two disorders.

SOUND BITE: "The main difference is in bulimia, patients maintain their body weight and in anorexia, you lose your body weight. So as soon as you go down to 85 percent or less of your body weight, you have anorexia nervosa."

Dr. Bhatt says patients with anorexia have an intense fear of weight gain or being “fat” and consider themselves to be overweight despite dramatic weight loss. Bulimia is characterized by a secretive cycle of binge eating and followed by purging. Dr. Bhatt offers tips for parents of teenages and young adults who are preoccupied with dieting.

SOUND BITE: ". . . it is important to encourage a healthy approach to food. I think it is okay for parents to say it’s okay to have a good appetite and not overdo dieting and so on. The other thing parents can watch out for is if their children or members of the family start losing weight, then having an overwhelming obsession almost with food. Most patients with anorexia don’t actually lose their appetite."

If someone you know shows signs of a serious eating disorder, they should be seen by a primary care physician or mental health counselor for diagnosis and possible treatment.