In the past 10 years, eating disorders among adolescent females have become of increasing concern. To assess the prevalence of eating disorders, unusual eating-related behaviors and attitudes, and psychological states among college women, 677 women, from three private northeastern United States colleges, completed a questionnaire assessing depression, self-esteem, assertiveness, body image, size, and eating attitudes and behaviors. An analysis of the results showed that, although distorted eating attitudes and behaviors appeared to be fairly common, extreme responses were characteristic of a minority of the women. Of the 677 respondents, 1.5 percent could be classified as near anorexics, 3.7 percent as clinical bulimics, 3.5 percent as near bulimics, 3.5 percent as overweight, and 87.7 percent as "normals." The two bulimic groups were highest in depression and lowest in self-esteem and assertiveness. They significantly overestimated their body size, tended to weigh more than "normals," to have the most varied and bizarre methods of losing weight, and to have the greatest weight fluctuations. Each group had unique patterns of eating-related behavior, with the overweight group representing a midpoint between the "normals" and the eating-disordered. (Author/BL)