Counseling Center

Brief Overview of Eating Disorders

Eating Disorder Statistics

• 90% of anorexics and bulimics are female, and 10% are male.

 

• Anorexia has the highest fatality rate of any identified psychological disorder; in fact, it is estimated that 10% of those suffering with anorexia will die from the disorder or its complications.

 

• Recent studies have suggested that 6-13% of high school students in Nevada and Utah have diagnosable eating disorders.

 

• These studies also found that 30-35% of high school students have attitudes and beliefs about food and weight that fall into the abnormal range and put them at risk for developing an eating disorder.

 

• 50% of 9-year-old girls and 80% of 10-year-old girls have dieted.

 

• 75% of American women are dissatisfied with their appearance.

 

• The ‘ideal' woman portrayed by models and screen actresses is 5'10" tall, and weighs 110 lbs. The average American woman is 5'4" and weighs 140 lbs.

 

• Young girls are more afraid of becoming fat than they are of nuclear war, cancer, or losing their parents.

 

• Girls develop eating and self-image problems before drug or alcohol problems. There are drug and alcohol treatment programs in almost every school, but no eating disorder programs.

 

Anorexia and Bulimia Briefly Defined

Anorexia: Deliberate self-starvation

Bulimia: Binge-eating followed by purging

 

Eating Disorder Criteria

The following criteria are used by mental health professionals to determine if someone is suffering from an eating disorder.  They are taken from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV).

 

Anorexia Nervosa

• Refusal to maintain body weight at 85% or above, or not making expected weight gains during puberty.
• Intense fear of gaining weight though underweight.
• Disturbance or distortion in body image perception and experience.
• Amenorrhea (loss of menstruation) with absence of at least three consecutive periods.

 

Bulimia Nervosa

• Recurrent episodes of binge eating with large food amounts and feelings of lack of control.
• Recurrent compensatory behavior (purging, excessive exercise, laxatives) to prevent weight gain.
• The binge eating and purging occur at least 2 times weekly for 3 months.
• Self-evaluation unduly influenced by body shape and weight.

 

What are some of the danger signs indicating an eating disorder?

 

Anorexia Nervosa

People with anorexia restrict their caloric intake for long periods of time and deliberately starve themselves, resulting in loss of body weight of at least 15 percent.  Weight loss is achieved by avoiding food, fasting, frenzied exercise, vomiting, laxatives and other means.  An intense fear of becoming obese as well as distorted body image are significant characteristics of anorexia nervosa.  Loss of hair, dehydration, cold hands and feet, bloating, fatigue, menstrual irregularities or loss of menstrual period, loss of muscle tissue, low blood pressure, dizziness, growth of body hair (languno), rigid food rules and rituals, frequent weighing of self on a scale, layering of clothing, insomnia, purging or compulsive exercise are other signs of this illness.  Emotional and psychological characteristics can include depression, low sense of self-worth, difficulty thinking clearly, suicidal thoughts, self-hatred, perfectionism, obsession about thinness, loss of sexual interest, withdrawal and isolation.

 

Bulimia Nervosa

A cyclic pattern of binge eating associated with some type of purging describes bulimia nervosa.  The purging takes on several different forms: fasting, self-induced vomiting, excessive exercising, or use of cathartics, diuretics, laxatives, or enemas.  It is characterized by an intense fear of becoming fat linked to secretive and recurring episodes of compulsively acquiring and eating large quantities of food and purging the food through self-induced vomiting or other compensatory behaviors such as excessive exercise.  Fear of not being able to stop eating or control what or how much is being eaten is another significant characteristic.  Weight fluctuations, heart arrhythmia and irregularities, swollen glands and face, sore throat, abdominal pain and distress, chest pain, tooth decay, loss of tooth enamel, gum erosion, dry mouth, headaches, fatigue, and constipation are other signs of this illness.  Emotional and psychological evidences can include an intense preoccupation with appearance and ‘image', constant ruminations and worries about body weight and size, self-loathing, self-disgust, perfectionism, unreasonable comparisons with the appearance of other women, constant feelings of being out of control, isolation, and an inability to be in touch with or express their own feelings.

 

Bulimia Nervosa and Anorexia Nervosa are often present together.  These disorders are prevalent among women, especially between the ages of 12 and 30.  One in 150 females suffer from Anorexia Nervosa, and recent studies on college campuses show that almost 20 percent of college females struggle with bulimia. 

 

Courtesy of Center For Change