appetite disorders

n. A category of disorders, the central aspect of which is abnormal desire for food. A symptom of anorexia nervosa and depression is often a lack of appetite. Complete lack of desire for food is usually caused by neurological deficit. Hyperphagia, or excessive overeating, is a disorder in which appetite is much greater than the physical need for food and can result from using food for mood control or emotional avoidance or from numerous physiological pathologies.