Eating Disorders
(from the National Institute on Mental Health)

Each year, millions of people in the United States are affected by serious and sometimes life-threatening eating disorders. The vast majority -- more than 90 percent -- of those afflicted with eating disorders are adolescent and young adult women.

One reason that women in this age group are particularly vulnerable to eating disorders is their tendency to go on strict diets to achieve an "ideal" figure. Researchers have found that such stringent dieting can play a key role in triggering eating disorders.

Approximately 1 percent of adolescent girls develop anorexia nervosa, a dangerous condition in which they can literally starve themselves to death.

Another 2-3 percent of young women develop bulimia nervosa, a destructive pattern of excessive overeating followed by vomiting or other "purging" behaviors to control their weight. These eating disorders also occur in men and older women, but much less frequently.

A newly diagnosed eating disorder called binge eating disorder is thought to be the most popular eating disorder. People with binge eating disorder frequently eat large amounts of food while feeling a loss of control over their eating.

Click here to learn more about anorexia, including signs of the illness and treatment information.

Click here to learn more about bulimia and its warning signs.

Click here to find out more about binge eating disorder.

Resources:
Eating Disorder Referral and Information Center
International Eating Disorder Referral Organization
2923 Sandy Pointe Suite 6
Del Mar, CA 92014-2052
858-792-7463
Fax: 858-481-5143

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