Eating Disorders
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What is an Eating Disorder?
Eating disorders are categorized as mental illnesses where there is an unhealthy relationship with food. People with eating disorders often struggle wit body image and this disrupts their normal activities with unusual eating habits to alter their appearance.
There are Three Main Eating Disorders
1. Anorexia Nervosa: fear of gaining weight or becoming fat
2. Bulimia Nervosa: the act of binge eating then purging or vomiting
3. Binge Eating Disorder: eating until uncomfortably full in one sitting
What Causes an Eating Disorder?
They can be genetic or caused by psychological issues like coping skills, control issues, trauma, family trouble, or social issues. Each type of eating disorder has many possible causes.
The Media
69% of girls ages 10 to 18 confirm that photographs of models and celebrities in magazines inspired their desired body shape.
How Many People Suffer from Eating Disorders?
Approximately 24 million people in the United States struggle with an eating disorder. Almost half of these people meet the criteria for depression.
How Many People Seek Treatment?
Only 10% of people with eating disorders receive treatment, and of those only 35% seek treatment from a facility that specializes in eating disorders.
Are Eating Disorders Deadly?
Eating disorders have the highest morality rate of any mental illness. For women ages 15 to 24, the morality rate of anorexia is 12 times higher than any other cause of death.
Men and Eating Disorders
Men make up 10 to 15% of the population with anorexia and bulimia, and are the least likely to seek help due to the gender stereotypes surrounding the disorders.
Teen Eating Disorders
More than 50% of teen girls and nearly 35% of teen boys admit to using unhealthy methods to control their weight including smoking cigarettes, skipping meals, fasting, vomiting, or taking laxatives.
College Girls
An estimated 25% of college-age girls resort to bingeing and purging to manage their weight. 58% of the studied girls felt social pressure to maintain a certain size.