I can see why you are concerned! Young people often fall in love with each other without understanding what can happen in long term relationships (like marriage) when mental illness is a factor. It's true that you never know what marriage will bring; even if you marry someone rich and healthy they could become impoverished or unhealthy at some time during the marriage. However, if you know in advance that the person you want to marry has serious mental health concerns, you still have time to save yourself from predictable suffering. Sometimes people with eating disorders actually die from them. As you noted, women with eating disorders may be unable to have children. Eating disorders often exist along with other disorders like depression, anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder - leading to more suffering for the entire family. A mentally unwell person may be an unfit parent. Young lovers rarely consider the future consequences of mental illness, believing that "love is all you need." Moreover, young men often have a "rescue fantasy" and are attracted to helpless, weak partners. The trouble is that the attraction dies a nasty death once the couple are married and the man matures a bit. Eventually, he wants a normal, healthy partner to share life with. The ideal is for people with mental illness to recover BEFORE they marry and for healthy people to seek out healthy partners. Although some say that eating disorders are forever, just like addictions, a person with an eating disorder can lead a preventative lifestyle just like someone with alcoholism can permanently attend 12 step programs in order to help prevent relapse. Perhaps your son would be willing to speak with a mental health professional to get some objective advice (not Mom's) on the advisability of staying in this relationship.   Sarah Chana