|
The Problem- |
 |
 |
| |
| Over eleven million people in the
United States suffer from eating
disorders and over 24 million suffer
from disordered eating. The myth
that eating disorders affect only
rich white girls is false. The truth
is eating disorders affect women and
men, girls as young as 8 and middle
aged women, all ethnic groups and
all economic classes. Eating
disorders are serious, life
threatening illnesses that need to
be recognized early and treated
aggressively. There are multiple
factors that contribute to the |
|
 |
| development of an
eating disorder including American’s
obsession with appearances, genetics
and biology, personality
characteristics and cultural
factors. Almost all eating disorders
begin with a weight loss diet and
the desire to be thin puts people at
high risk for developing an eating
disorder. |
- 7 million women and 1 million
men suffer from eating disorders
- 10-22% of persons diagnosed with
an eating disorder die as a result
- 2-5% of persons diagnosed with
eating disorders commit suicide
- 86% of people suffering from eating
disorders report onset by age 20
- 77% of people diagnosed with eating
disorders report duration of 1-15
years
- Treatment for eating disorders
is extremely expensive - it can
cost $30,000 or more per month for
inpatient treatment and $100,000
or more per year for outpatient
treatment
- Most experts in the field believe
that managed care fails to provide
adequate funding for eating disorders
- One in five eating disorder experts
believes that insurance companies
have indirectly caused at least
one of their patients to die
- Eighty percent of women report
being unhappy with their appearance
- Nearly one-fifth of female teens
and 10 percent of boys have starved
themselves for 24 hours or more to
lose weight or avoid gaining weight.
- Thirty-five percent of “normal
dieters” will progress to
pathological dieting and of those,
20 – 25% will go on to develop an
eating disorder.
|
| |
|
|
 |
|
The outrage at
Anna’s death and the outpouring
of community support has led Anna’s
family to establish The Anna Westin
Foundation, a nonprofit organization
formed to help others suffering directly
or indirectly from eating disorders,
and to provide education and information
designed to prevent the development
of anorexia and bulimia.
Click here to read the full
story. |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
