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According to the National Eating Disorders Association, an eating disorder includes unhealthy emotions, behaviors and attitudes concerning food and weight issues. The most common eating disorders are Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, and Compulsive Overeating.
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5-10 million girls and women, and 1 million boys and men, suffer from eating disorders in the United States (this is a conservative estimate).
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In addition, there are lots of people who struggle with body dissatisfaction and have disordered eating attitudes and behaviors. For example, 80% of American women are dissatisfied with their appearance.
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There are physical, interpersonal, and social elements that contribute to eating disorders, including:
having low self-esteem or not feeling in control of one's life
bad family or peer relationships
finding it hard to express emotions
being teased by others about size or weight
depression, loneliness, anger, and anxiety
physical or sexual abuse
living in a society that only promotes a certain body type as beautiful which enforces the notion that thinness is perfection.
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The drive for thinness in our society is reinforced daily by the media and advertising's use of extremely thin models to display and sell products. The average American woman is 5'4" tall and weighs 140 pounds. The average American model is 5'11" tall and weighs 117 pounds. Most fashion models are thinner than 98% of American women.
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Eating disorders not only lead to serious health risks, they can be potentially fatal. Of all mental illnesses, anorexia has the highest mortality rate. 20% of people diagnosed with long-term anorexia will eventually die from the effects of the disease. People who suffer from eating disorders need to seek professional help as soon as possible: The earlier an eating disorder is treated, the better the chance of recovery. See our Eating Disorder Resources for places to get help.
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