Eating Disorders

Millions of people in the United States are affected by eating disorders, specifically young women striving to reach the "ideal" figure.

Charlotte Miller, High School Student Writer

Palo Alto Medical Foundation

Common Types of Eating Disorders

Anorexia Nervosa

Approximately 1 percent of adolescent girls develop anorexia nervosa, a dangerous condition in which they can literally starve themselves to death.
The mortality rate associated with anorexia nervosa is 12 times higher than the death rate associated with all causes of death for females 15 to 24 years old.
An estimated 0.5 to 3.7 percent of women suffer from anorexia nervosa in their lifetime.
20 percent of people suffering from anorexia will prematurely die from complications related to their eating disorder, including suicide and heart problems

Bulimia Nervosa

Another 2 to 3 percent of young women develop bulimia nervosa, a destructive pattern of overeating followed by vomiting or other "purging" behaviors to control their weight.
About 50 percent of people who have had anorexia develop bulimia or bulimic patterns.

Other common eating disorders include exercise bulimia and binge eating. These eating disorders also occur in men and older women, but much less frequently.

Dieting Statistics

91 percent of women surveyed on a college campus had attempted to control their weight through dieting.
- 22 percent dieted "often" or "always"
25 percent of college-aged women engage in binging and purging as a weight-management technique.
In a survey of 185 female students on a college campus:
- 58 percent felt pressure to be a certain weight
- Of the 83 percent that dieted for weight loss, 44 percent were of normal weight
An estimated 2 to 5 percent of Americans experience binge-eating disorder in a 6-month period.

Consequences

The consequences of eating disorders can be severe:

1 in 10 cases lead to death by starvation
Eating disorders can cause cardiac arrest
Those with eating disorders are more likely to attempt suicide

Fortunately, increasing awareness of the dangers of eating disorders, sparked by medical studies and extensive media coverage of the illness, has led many people to seek help.

Nevertheless, some people with eating disorders refuse to admit they have a problem and do not get treatment. Family members and friends can help recognize the problem and encourage the person to seek treatment.

Causes

In trying to understand the causes of eating disorders, scientists have studied the personalities, genetics, environments, and biochemistry of people with these illnesses. As is often the case, the more that is learned, the more complex the roots of eating disorders appear to be.

Although there is a clear correlation between the portrayal of the "ideal" body in the media and eating disorders, it is not clear why some at-risk individuals develop eating disorders and others do not.

Get Help

There are many different types of eating disorders with many different warning signs. If you fall into any of these descriptions for eating disorders, do not hesitate to contact your physician or a counselor.

If you have friends who might have an eating disorder, please encourage them to seek help — you may save a life!

Last Reviewed: October 2013