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Eating Disorders

I've had friends, students and relatives with anorexia and/or bulimia. I've personally come to think of these disorders less as diseases than as symptoms of something else gone wrong. Although most therapists will tell you that there's a very strong correlation between eating disorders and sexual abuse (remembered or repressed), for some reason the books, articles and TV shows don't usually mention that connection. (One psychologist told me that this was the most important fact in psychology today that's kept from the general public.) If you're silently suffering from an eating disorder, for whatever reason, please at least take a few steps to learn about it, and maybe talk with other sufferers on the discussion board. Check out the resource links, too. You're not alone in this.

—Gail

About 1% of female adolescents have anorexia, and half of them will develop bulimia.

Four percent of college-aged women have bulimia.

Males comprise 10% of those with eating disorders.

Without treatment, up to 20% of people with serious eating disorders die. With treatment, mortality rates fall to only 2-3%.

- Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating Disorders (ANRED)

Between 2% and 5% of US citizens will experience binge-eating within a 6-month period.

All eating disorders primarily appear during adolescence.

It's common for people with eating disorders to also have depression, anxiety disorders, or substance abuse problems.

- National Institute of Mental Health

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ANRED: Information and Resources - Mainly info, scroll down to Table of Contents at the bottom.
National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD) - Info and resources; has a hotline.
Eating Disorders: Connecting People With People Who Can Help - You can look for treatment centers here by state or condition or type of facility.
Eating Disorder Referral and Information Center - International.
Center for Eating Disorders - Has helpline.