Eating disorders are are bio-psycho-social diseases – not fads, phases or lifestyle choices
TYPES OF EATING DISORDERS:
- Anorexia Nervosa - self-starvation and excessive weight loss; marked by intense fear of weight gain, obsession with weight and persistent behavior to prevent weight gain.
- Bulimia Nervosa - a cycle of bingeing and compensatory behaviors such as self-induced vomiting designed to undo or compensate for the effects of binge eating
- Binge-Eating Disorder - recurrent episodes of eating large quantities of food (often very quickly and to the point of discomfort); a feeling of a loss of control during the binge; experiencing shame afterwards
- Pica -The persistent eating, over a period of at least one month, of substances that are not food and do not provide nutritional value
- Rumination Disorder - Regurgitation of food that has already been swallowed
- Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) - Failure to consume adequate amounts of food, with serious nutritional consequences, but without the psychological features of anorexia nervosa.
- Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder (OSFED)* - A feeding or eating disorder that causes significant distress or impairment, but does not meet the criteria for another feeding or eating disorder
- Unspecified Feeding or Eating Disorder (UFED) - When behaviors do not meet full criteria for any of the other feeding and eating disorders, but still cause clinically significant problem
- In the United States, 20 million women and 10 million men suffer from a clinically significant eating disorder at some time in their life, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder or EDNOS
- Eating disorders affect affect people of every age, race, ethnicity, gender, size, and sexual orientation
- It is estimated that 0.9% of women will struggle with anorexia in their lifetime, 1.5% of women will struggle with bulimia in their lifetime, and 3.5% of women will struggle with binge eating
- 0.3% of men will struggle with anorexia, 0.5% of men will struggle with bulimia, 2% of men will struggle with binge eating disorder
- Although the majority of people afflicted are women, 5–15% of people diagnosed with anorexia or bulimia are male. 35% of people diagnosed with binge-eating disorder are male.
- The prevalence of eating disorders is similar among Non-Hispanic Whites, Hispanics, African-Americans, and Asians in the United States, with the exception that anorexia nervosa is more common among Non-Hispanic Whites
- The National Institute of Mental Health reports that 2.7% of teens, ages 13-18 years old, struggle with an eating disorder
- 50% of teenage girls and 30% of teenage boys use unhealthy weight control behaviors such as skipping meals, fasting, smoking cigarettes, vomiting, and taking laxatives to control their weight
- Eating disorders also affect adults, and their prevalence amongst adults is rising; in 2003, 1/3 of inpatient admissions to a specialized treatment center for eating disorders were over 30 years old
For more information on eating disorders, please visit the NEDA (National Eating Disorders Association) website.
If you have or you suspect someone close to you has an eating disorder, please do not wait to seek help! Call the National Eating Disorders Association Helpline at 1-800-931-2237.
INTERVIEWS
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The Body Image Therapy Center: Melissa Franolich, MSW, LGSW, JD, MBA
Stephanie Gilbert, Ph. D, Licensed Psycologist (read her bio on stephaniegilbert.com!)
Stephanie Gilbert, Ph. D, Licensed Psycologist (read her bio on stephaniegilbert.com!)