Some Eating Disorder Statistics

Nothing brightens your day like harrowing statistics!

• An estimated 8 million Americans suffer from eating disorders (7 million women and one million men).  
• One in 200 American women has Anorexia and two to three in 100 has Bulimia.
• 10-15% of people living with Anorexia or Bulimia are men. 
• ED's have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness.  
• The mortality rate of Anorexia is 12 time higher than the death rate of ALL other causes of death in women age 15 to 24
• 20% of people suffering from anorexia will prematurely die from complications related to their eating disorder, including suicide and heart problems.
• Only 1 in 10 ED sufferers receive treatment.
• Of those who do receive treatment, 80% do not get the intensity of treatment they need to stay in recovery.
• 50% of girls between the ages of 11 and 13 see themselves as overweight.
• 80% of 13 year olds have attempted to lose weight.
• Almost 50% of people with ED's also fit the criteria for depression.
• 25% of college aged women binge and purge as weight management techniqe.
• Over 1/2 of teenage girls and 1/3 of teenage boys use unhealthy weight control behaviors such as skipping meals, fasting, smoking, vomiting and abusing laxatives.
• Seventy-seven percent of individuals with eating disorders report that the illness can last anywhere from one to 15 years or even longer in some cases. It is estimated that approximately six percent of serious cases die. For many others, there are long-term, irreversible consequences which can affect one's physical and emotional health. Up to now, only 50% all people with this devastating disease report being cured.

I'll stop at that, because I want you all to want to come back to my blog.  It amazes me, though, that eating disorders can be so dangerous and so prevalent, and yet we rarely ever hear about them.  I guess popular culture is still much happier promoting unrealistic ideals than helping us out.

Maybe when breast cancer is cured, ED's can step up to the plate as the new women's issue?

It's not all hopeless, though.  There's so much more good information on eating disorders available now than there was twenty years ago, or even ten.  There are lots of free resources available through community programs and on the internet.  And a lot of ED survivors are coming forward with their stories.  So although inpatient treatment is unavailable to many, there is a growing network available to anyone ready to recover.

Up next time: a glossary of things you'll be hearing me say a lot!



These harrowing statistics plus many more, as well as tons of other info can be found at these websites.

http://www.state.sc.us/dmh/anorexia/statistics.htmhttp://www.anad.org/get-information/about-eating-disorders/eating-disorders-statistics/
http://www.mirasol.net/eating-disorders/information/eating-disorder-statistics.php