An "Eating Disorder not Otherwise Specified" is an eating disorder that does not meet the strict diagnostic criteria for anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa, yet still exhibits serious symptoms. For example, a person with EDNOS may have symptoms of anorexia nervosa, but may not fall within a certain specific weight range for their height or may not have had the disorder for very long. Alternatively, someone may have a combination of symptoms from more than one disorder or may have Binge Eating Disorder, which is indicated by binge eating episodes without the presence of bulimia nervosa. Many people suffer in silence with Binge Eating Disorder and other forms of EDNOS because they frequently do not appear underweight and therefore may be better able to "hide" their disorder from loved ones. Unfortunately, this may prevent those with EDNOS from getting the help they need and the disorder may worsen with time. The medical complications that can occur with EDNOS are just as serious as those of anorexia and bulimia.
ENDOS is actually a very common diagnosis because many people's symptoms do not fall strictly under the criteria for anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa. In adolescents, this is often due to their current state of their development. Because of their growing and changing young bodies, their eating disorder may be diagnosed before they have actually reached the specific weight ranges used to diagnose anorexia nervosa. They may also not have reached the stage of cognitive development where they are capable of more abstract thought. Therefore, they might not meet the criteria for “having a distorted body image”, which is needed to diagnose anorexia nervosa.