Eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are a common source of psychiatric and physical morbidity among young women in Western societies. Eating disorders are often not detected and they have a reputation for being difficult to treat.

There are a number of reasons why women with eating disorders are reluctant to seek help.

• Chronic low self-esteem is very common: sufferers feel the disorder is self-inflicted and that they do not deserve help, or that it is not severe enough to warrant help.
• Feelings of shame and guilt often prevent people with binge eating problems from confiding in anyone.
• People often hope the problem will go away on its own.
• Many find it very difficult to tell doctors about their eating. They may have consulted with problems secondary to the eating disorder in the past and feel awkward about admitting to a problem that they had previously not disclosed.
• If they do tell the doctor they may come across obstructive attitudes, often because they does not know how to help.
• They are often fearful that treatment will involve weight gain.
• In some cases, particularly with anorexia nervosa, the sufferer does not view the eating disorder as a problem and does not want to change.