Eating disorders are considered to be the third most common chronic disease in adolescents; they are also often present in children and should be treated as a very significant problem. The global prevalence of eating disorders from the beginning of the 21st century to 2018 increased from 3.4% to 7.8%. Research on a sample of Croatian high school students showed that as many as 50.4% of girls and 24% of boys have experience with dieting. Body dissatisfaction leads to negative attitudes towards eating, concerns about weight and diet, and ultimately can lead to eating disorders. The epidemiology of eating disorders causes other specific problems because sufferers try to minimize or hide their health condition and avoid professional help. Eating disorders can appear already in early childhood in the form of eating inedible things and this disorder can disappear in adulthood. A common feature, in various forms of eating disorders, is the excessive importance of physical appearance and weight in the individual's self-evaluation, along with irregular or chaotic patterns of food intake. In order to diagnose these diseases, it is necessary to meet the diagnostic criteria specified in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV / DSM-V) or the International Classification of Diseases (ICD). The biggest problem in eating disorders is to not recognize the mentioned signs (or to deny the existence of the problem), which causes a damaged physical and mental health state leading to a bad outcome of the disease. Early detection and follow-up of patients can prevent the transition of the disease into a chronic form and the trigger of numerous health problems.