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Eating Disorders: Overview and Trends

Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness—20 percent of affected individuals without treatment. The mortality rate drops to 2 to 3 percent with treatment. One percent of females between the ages of 10 and 20 have anorexia nervosa and 2 to 3 percent have bulimia. Males account for only 1 percent of those with eating disorders.

Trends

  • Incidence of eating disorders has doubled since the 1960s
  • Increasing numbers of children as young as age six suffer from the illness
  • 10 percent report onset of illness at age 10 or younger
  • Incidences of eating disorders are increasing among diverse ethnic groups
  • 42 percent of 1st-3rd grade girls want to be thinner
  • 9 percent of nine-year-olds have vomited to lose weight
  • 13 percent of high school girls purge

Medical Complications from Anorexia

  • Osteoporosis
  • Muscle atrophy
  • Heart muscle shrinkage and irregular heart beats
  • In adolescence, growth retardation and peak bone mass reduction
  • Frequently co-occurs with depression, substance abuse, or anxiety disorders
  • Common causes of death are cardiac arrest or electrolyte imbalance, or suicide

Medical Complications from Bulimia

  • Dehydration
  • Heart and gastrointestinal problems
  • Teeth erosion
  • Electrolyte disturbances, irregular heart beats, and heart failure
  • Laxative dependence

Laxative Abuse

  • Use among bulimics is 40 to 75 percent
  • 15 percent abuse laxatives several times each day
  • Abuse among high school students range from 3.5 to 7 percent
  • Abuse can cause failure to absorb nutrients, electrolyte imbalances, loss of colon function, and development of renal stones

Treatment and Recovery

  • With treatment, 60 percent of people with eating disorders recover
  • 20 percent make only partial recoveries and often relapse
  • Remaining 20 percent do not recover and suffer chronic deterioration
  • Treatment should include nutritional, medical, and psychiatric services, and psychotherapy with the patient and family
  • Cognitive behavioral therapy has shown to be effective in reducing symptoms and increasing self-esteem
  • Early detection and treatment result in improved outcomes

Sources

  • National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
  • Eating Disorders Coalition for Research, Policy & Action (EDC)
  • Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating Disorders (ANRED)
  • National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders

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