Eating Disorders

I'm stealing ix's idea and posting what I find on certain subjects that may help other people as well....

Contents= Post Page 1:

1. What Is An Eating Disorder?
2. Causes Of Eating Disorders
3. The Media, Body Image, and Eating Disorders
4. What Should I Say?
5. Anorexia Nervosa
6. Binge Eating Disorder
7. Bulimia Nervosa
8. Eating Concerns and Oral Health
9. Eating Disorders & Pregnancy
10. Share With EEEase
11. What's Going On WIth Me?
12. Anorexia Nervosa In Males
13. Binge Eating Disorder In Males
14. Bulimia Nervosa In Males
15. Research On Males and Eating Disorders
16. How To Help a Friend with Eating and Body Image Issues
17. Seeking Treament
18. Eating Disorders Can Be Prevented!
19. Facts for Activists (or anyone!)
20. Statistics: Eating Disorders and their Precursors

Posts Page 2:

1. Tips for Kids on Eating Well and Feeling Good about Yourself
2. Anorexic Logic by Lisa Arndt
3. *comment*
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5. Anorexia affects your whole body
6. How Bulimia affects your body
7. Binge Eating Disorder Complications
8. *comment*
9. *comment*
10. *comment*
11. *comment*
12. The Shape We're In (posted by blurredkh)
13. *comment* url
14. *comment*
15. *comment*
16. *comment*
17. *comment*
18. Anorexia: The Physical Devastation- video
19. *comment*

Eating Disorder Survival Guide

What Is An Eating Disorder?


Eating Disorders such as anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder include extreme emotions, attitudes, and behaviors surrounding weight and food issues.
They are serious emotional and physical problems that can have life-threatening consequences for females and males.
ANOREXIA NERVOSA is characterized by self-starvation and excessive weight loss.

Symptoms include:

• Refusal to maintain body weight at or above a minimally normal weight for height, body type, age, and activity level
• Intense fear of weight gain or being ?fat?
• Feeling ?fat? or overweight despite dramatic weight loss
• Loss of menstrual periods
• Extreme concern with body weight and shape

BULIMIA NERVOSA is characterized by a secretive cycle of binge eating followed by purging. Bulimia includes eating large amounts of food--more than most people would eat in one meal--in short periods of time, then getting rid of the food and calories through vomiting, laxative abuse, or over-exercising. Symptoms include:

• Repeated episodes of bingeing and purging
• Feeling out of control during a binge and eating beyond the point of comfortable fullness
• Purging after a binge, (typically by self-induced vomiting, abuse of laxatives, diet pills and/or diuretics, excessive exercise, or fasting)
• Frequent dieting
• Extreme concern with body weight and shape

BINGE EATING DISORDER (also known as COMPULSIVE OVEREATING) is characterized primarily by periods of uncontrolled, impulsive, or continuous eating beyond the point of feeling comfortably full. While there is no purging, there may be sporadic fasts or repetitive diets and often feelings of shame or self-hatred after a binge. People who overeat compulsively may struggle with anxiety, depression, and loneliness, which can contribute to their unhealthy episodes of binge eating. Body weight may vary from normal to mild, moderate, or severe obesity.

OTHER EATING DISORDERS can include some combination of the signs and symptoms of anorexia, bulimia, and/or binge eating disorder. While these behaviors may not be clinically considered a full syndrome eating disorder, they can still be physically dangerous and emotionally draining. All eating disorders require professional help.

What Causes Eating Disorders?

While eating disorders may begin with preoccupations with food and weight, they are most often about much more than food.


Eating disorders are complex conditions that arise from a combination of long-standing behavioral, emotional, psychological, interpersonal, and social factors. Scientists and researchers are still learning about the underlying causes of these emotionally and physically damaging conditions. We do know, however, about some of the general issues that can contribute to the development of eating disorders. People with eating disorders often use food and the control of food in an attempt to compensate for feelings and emotions that may otherwise seem over-whelming. For some, dieting, bingeing, and purging may begin as a way to cope with painful emotions and to feel in control of one?s life, but ultimately, these behaviors will damage a person?s physical and emotional health, self-esteem, and sense of competence and control.

Psychological Factors that can Contribute to Eating Disorders:

• Low self-esteem
• Feelings of inadequacy or lack of control in life
• Depression, anxiety, anger, or loneliness

Interpersonal Factors that Can Contribute to Eating Disorders:

• Troubled family and personal relationships
• Difficulty expressing emotions and feelings
• History of being teased or ridiculed based on size or weight
• History of physical or sexual abuse

Social Factors that Can Contribute to Eating Disorders:

• Cultural pressures that glorify "thinness" and place value on obtaining the "perfect body"
• Narrow definitions of beauty that include only women and men of specific body weights and shapes
• Cultural norms that value people on the basis of physical appearance and not inner qualities and strengths

Other Factors that can Contribute to Eating Disorders:

• Scientists are still researching possible biochemical or biological causes of eating disorders. In some individuals with eating disorders, certain chemicals in the brain that control hunger, appetite, and digestion have been found to be imbalanced. The exact meaning and implications of these imbalances remains under investigation.

Eating disorders are complex conditions that can arise from a variety of potential causes. Once started, however, they can create a self-perpetuating cycle of physical and emotional destruction.
All eating disorders require professional help.

The Media, Body Image, and Eating Disorders

Eating disorders are complex conditions that arise from a variety of factors, including physical, psychological, interpersonal, and social issues. Media images that help to create cultural definitions of beauty and attractiveness are often acknowledged as being among those factors contributing to the rise of eating disorders.

Media messages screaming ?thin is in? may not directly cause eating disorders, but they help to create the context within which people learn to place a value on the size and shape of their body. To the extent that media messages like advertising and celebrity spotlights help our culture define what is beautiful and what is ?good,? the media?s power over our development of self-esteem and body image can be incredibly strong.

Some Basic Facts About the Media?s Influence in Our Lives:

• According to a recent survey of adolescent girls, the media is their main source of information about women?s health issues (Commonwealth Fund, 1997).
  
• Researchers estimate that 60% of Caucasian middle school girls read at least one fashion magazine regularly (Levine, 1997).
  
• Another study of mass media magazines discovered that women?s magazines had 10.5 times more advertisements and articles promoting weight loss than men?s magazines did (as cited in Guillen & Barr, 1994).
  
• A study of one teen adolescent magazine over the course of 20 years found that in articles about fitness or exercise plans, 74% cited ?to become more attractive? as a reason to start exercising and 51% noted the need to lose weight or burn calories (Guillen & Barr, 1994).
  
• The average young adolescent watches 3-4 hours of TV per day (Levine, 1997).
  
• A study of 4,294 network television commercials revealed that 1 out of every 3.8 commercials send some sort of ?attractiveness message,? telling viewers what is or is not attractive (as cited in Myers et al., 1992). These researchers estimate that the average adolescent sees over 5,260 ?attractiveness messages? per year.

Encouraging the media to present more diverse and real images of people with positive messages about health and self-esteem may not eliminate eating disorders entirely, but it would help reduce the pressures many people feel to make their bodies conform to one ideal, and in the process, reduce feelings of body dissatisfaction and ultimately decrease the potential for eating disorders.


Join the NEDA Media Watchdog Program!

What Should I Say?
Tips for Talking to a Friend Who May Be Struggling with an Eating Disorder

If you are worried about your friend?s eating behaviors or attitudes, it is important to express your concerns in a loving and supportive way. It is also necessary to discuss your worries early on, rather than waiting until your friend has endured many of the damaging physical and emotional effects of eating disorders.


In a private and relaxed setting, talk to your friend in a calm and caring way about the specific things you have seen or felt that have caused you to worry.
What to Say - Step by Step

• Set a time to talk. Set aside a time for a private, respectful meeting with your friend to discuss your concerns openly and honestly in a caring, supportive way. Make sure you will be some place away from other distractions.
  
• Communicate your concerns. Share your memories of specific times when you felt concerned about your friend?s eating or exercise behaviors. Explain that you think these things may indicate that there could be a problem that needs professional attention.
  
• Ask your friend to explore these concerns with a counselor, doctor, nutritionist, or other health professional who is knowledgeable about eating issues. If you feel comfortable doing so, offer to help your friend make an appointment or accompany your friend on their first visit.
  
• Avoid conflicts or a battle of the wills with your friend. If your friend refuses to acknowledge that there is a problem, or any reason for you to be concerned, restate your feelings and the reasons for them and leave yourself open and available as a supportive listener.
  
• Avoid placing shame, blame, or guilt on your friend regarding their actions or attitudes. Do not use accusatory ?you? statements like, ?You just need to eat.? Or, ?You are acting irresponsibly.? Instead, use ?I? statements. For example: ?I?m concerned about you because you refuse to eat breakfast or lunch.? Or, ?It makes me afraid to hear you vomiting.?
  
• Avoid giving simple solutions. For example, "If you'd just stop, then everything would be fine!"
  
• Express your continued support. Remind your friend that you care and want your friend to be healthy and happy.

After talking with your friend, if you are still concerned with their health and safety, find a trusted adult or medical professional to talk to. This is probably a challenging time for both of you. It could be helpful for you, as well as your friend, to discuss your concerns and seek assistance and support from a professional.

Anorexia Nervosa

Anorexia Nervosa is a serious, potentially life-threatening eating disorder characterized by self-starvation and excessive weight loss.


Anorexia Nervosa has four primary symptoms:

• Resistance to maintaining body weight at or above a minimally normal weight for age and height
• Intense fear of weight gain or being ?fat? even though underweight.
• Disturbance in the experience of body weight or shape, undue influence of weight or shape on self-evaluation, or denial of the seriousness of low body weight.
• Loss of menstrual periods in girls and women post-puberty.

Eating disorders experts have found that prompt intensive treatment significantly improves the chances of recovery. Therefore, it is important to be aware of some of the warning signs of anorexia nervosa. Warning Signs of Anorexia Nervosa:

• Dramatic weight loss.
• Preoccupation with weight, food, calories, fat grams, and dieting.
• Refusal to eat certain foods, progressing to restrictions against whole categories of food (e.g. no carbohydrates, etc.).
• Frequent comments about feeling ?fat? or overweight despite weight loss.
• Anxiety about gaining weight or being ?fat.?
• Denial of hunger.
• Development of food rituals (e.g. eating foods in certain orders, excessive chewing, rearranging food on a plate).
• Consistent excuses to avoid mealtimes or situations involving food.
• Excessive, rigid exercise regimen--despite weather, fatigue, illness, or injury--the need to ?burn off? calories taken in.
• Withdrawal from usual friends and activities.
• In general, behaviors and attitudes indicating that weight loss, dieting, and control of food are becoming primary concerns.

Anorexia nervosa involves self-starvation. The body is denied the essential nutrients it needs to function normally, so it is forced to slow down all of its processes to conserve energy. This ?slowing down? can have serious medical consequences. Health Consequences of Anorexia Nervosa:

• Abnormally slow heart rate and low blood pressure, which mean that the heart muscle is changing. The risk for heart failure rises as heart rate and blood pressure levels sink lower and lower.
• Reduction of bone density (osteoporosis), which results in dry, brittle bones.
• Muscle loss and weakness.
• Severe dehydration, which can result in kidney failure.
• Fainting, fatigue, and overall weakness.
• Dry hair and skin, hair loss is common.
• Growth of a downy layer of hair called lanugo all over the body, including the face, in an effort to keep the body warm.

Statistics About Anorexia Nervosa:

• Approximately 90-95% of anorexia nervosa sufferers are girls and women (American Psychiatric Association, 1994).
• Between 0.5-1% of American women suffer from anorexia nervosa.
• Anorexia nervosa is one of the most common psychiatric diagnoses in young women (Hsu, 1996).
• Between 5-20% of individuals struggling with anorexia nervosa will die. The probabilities of death increases within that range depending on the length of the condition (Zerbe, 1995).
• Anorexia nervosa has one of the highest death rates of any mental health condition.
• Anorexia nervosa typically appears in early to mid-adolescence.

Binge Eating Disorder

Binge Eating Disorder (BED) is a type of eating disorder not otherwise specified and is characterized by recurrent binge eating without the regular use of compensatory measures to counter the binge eating.


Binge Eating Disorder is characterized by:

• Frequent episodes of eating large quantities of food in short periods of time.
• Feeling out of control over eating behavior.
• Feeling ashamed or disgusted by the behavior.
• There are also several behavioral indicators of BED including eating when not hungry and eating in secret.

Health Consequences of Binge Eating Disorder:
The health risks of BED are most commonly those associated with clinical obesity. Some of the potential health consequences of binge eating disorder include:

• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol levels
• Heart disease
• Diabetes mellitus
• Gallbladder disease

About Binge Eating Disorder:

• The prevalence of BED is estimated to be approximately 1-5% of the general population.
• Binge eating disorder affects women slightly more often than men--estimates indicate that about 60% of people struggling with binge eating disorder are female, 40% are male (NIH, 1993).
• People who struggle with binge eating disorder can be of normal or heavier than average weight.
• BED is often associated with symptoms of depression.
• People struggling with BED often express distress, shame, and guilt over their eating behaviors

Bulimia Nervosa

Bulimia Nervosa is a serious, potentially life-threatening eating disorder characterized by a cycle of bingeing and compensatory behaviors such as self-induced vomiting designed to undo or compensate for the effects of binge eating.


Bulimia Nervosa has three primary symptoms:

• Regular intake of large amounts of food accompanied by a sense of loss of control over eating behavior.
• Regular use of inappropriate compensatory behaviors such as self-induced vomiting, laxative or diuretic abuse, fasting, and/or obsessive or compulsive exercise.
• Extreme concern with body weight and shape.

Eating disorder specialists believe that the chance for recovery increases the earlier bulimia nervosa is detected. Therefore, it is important to be aware of some of the warning signs of bulimia nervosa. Warning Signs of Bulimia Nervosa:

• Evidence of binge-eating, including disappearance of large amounts of food in short periods of time or the existence of wrappers and containers indicating the consumption of large amounts of food.
• Evidence of purging behaviors, including frequent trips to the bathroom after meals, signs and/or smells of vomiting, presence of wrappers or packages of laxatives or diuretics.
• Excessive, rigid exercise regimen--despite weather, fatigue, illness, or injury--the need to ?burn off? calories taken in.
• Unusual swelling of the cheeks or jaw area.
• Calluses on the back of the hands and knuckles from self-induced vomiting.
• Discoloration or staining of the teeth.
• Creation of complex lifestyle schedules or rituals to make time for binge-and-purge sessions.
• Withdrawal from usual friends and activities.
• In general, behaviors and attitudes indicating that weight loss, dieting, and control of food are becoming primary concerns.

Bulimia nervosa can be extremely harmful to the body. The recurrent binge-and-purge cycles can impact the entire digestive system and purge behaviors can lead to electrolyte and chemical imbalances in the body that affect the heart and other major organ functions. Health Consequences of Bulimia Nervosa:

• Electrolyte imbalances that can lead to irregular heartbeats and possibly heart failure and death. Electrolyte imbalance is caused by dehydration and loss of potassium and sodium from the body as a result of purging behaviors.
• Inflammation and possible rupture of the esophagus from frequent vomiting.
• Tooth decay and staining from stomach acids released during frequent vomiting.
• Chronic irregular bowel movements and constipation as a result of laxative abuse.
• Gastric rupture is an uncommon but possible side effect of binge eating.

About Bulimia Nervosa:

• Bulimia nervosa affects 1-2% of adolescent and young adult women.
• Approximately 80% of bulimia nervosa patients are female (Gidwani, 1997).
• People struggling with bulimia nervosa will often appear to be of average body weight.
• Many people struggling with bulimia nervosa recognize that their behaviors are unusual and perhaps dangerous to their health.
• Bulimia nervosa is frequently associated with symptoms of depression and changes in social adjustment

Eating Concerns and Oral Health

Dietary habits can and do play a role in oral health. Everyone has heard from their dentist that eating too much sugar can lead to cavities, but did you know that high intake of acidic "diet" foods can have an equally devastating effect on your teeth?
In fact, while up to 89% of bulimic patients show signs of the tooth erosion usually associated with regurgitation, some studies have found similar prevalence rates in patients with highly restrictive dietary habits. The harmful habits and nutritional deficiencies that often accompany disordered eating can have severe consequences on one?s dental health. It is often the pain and discomfort associated with dental complications that causes individuals with eating disorders to seek treatment.
Signs and Symptoms

• Loss of tissue and erosive lesions on the surface of teeth due to the effects of acid. These lesions can appear as early as 6 months from the start of the problem.
• Changes in the color, shape, and length of teeth. Teeth can become brittle, translucent, and weak.
• Increased sensitivity to temperature. In extreme cases the pulp can be exposed and cause infection, discoloration, or even pulp death.
• Enlargement of the salivary glands, dry mouth, and reddened, dry, cracked lips.
• Tooth decay, which can actually be aggravated by extensive tooth brushing or rinsing following vomiting.
• Unprovoked, spontaneous pain within a particular tooth.

Changes in the mouth are often the first physical signs of an eating disorder. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, talk with your dentist about ways to care for your teeth and mouth. There are methods for improving your oral health while you are seeking help to change harmful eating habits.

Eating Disorders & Pregnancy:

Facts about the Risks     Pregnancy and motherhood. Professionals recommend that women with eating disorders do their best to resolve the eating disorder related weight and behavior problems before they attempt to get pregnant.
Pregnancy and motherhood require a great amount of physical and psychological strength. During pregnancy, the growing baby receives all its nourishment from the mother?s body. When stores of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients are low, a woman?s body will drain them to support the growth and development of the baby. If reserves are not sufficiently restored through healthy eating, the mother can become severely malnourished, and this in turn can lead to depression, exhaustion and many other serious health complications.

The average woman gains between 25-35 pounds during pregnancy. While this amount is required for a healthy pregnancy, for women with eating disorders having to gain this amount can be very frightening. Some women with disordered eating are able to more easily cope with weight gain during pregnancy because they see it as a sacrifice for an important cause. But others may plunge into deep depression as they struggle with the tension between the idea of weight gain and their body image issues. Most women with eating disorders fall somewhere between these two extremes.

The Relationship between Specific Eating Disorders and Pregnancy:Women with anorexia nervosa are underweight and may not gain enough weight during pregnancy. They risk having a baby with abnormally low birth weight and related health problems. Women with bulimia nervosa who continue to purge may suffer dehydration, chemical imbalances or even cardiac irregularities. Pregnancy heightens these health risks. Women who are overweight due to binge eating are at greater risk of developing high blood pressure, gestational diabetes and overgrown babies. Risks for the Mother: Poor nutrition, dehydration, cardiac irregularities, gestational diabetes, severe depression during pregnancy, premature births, labor complications, difficulties nursing, post-partum depression.

Risks for the Baby: Poor development, premature birth, low birth weight for age, respiratory distress, other perinatal complications, feeding difficulties.

Professionals recommend that women with eating disorders do their best to resolve the eating disorder related weight and behavior problems before they attempt to get pregnant. It is important to consult with your physician, counselors and/or registered dietician before attempting to get pregnant. Women with eating disorders who become pregnant are advised to seek specialized medical and psychological help. Pregnant women with eating disorders should inform their obstetricians about these problems and may require ?high risk? obstetrical care.

REMEMBER: Eat healthy, well-balanced meals and maintain a healthy weight for several months before conceiving and throughout pregnancy to protect the health of yourself and your baby! What if I Become Pregnant while Struggling with an Eating Disorder?Though having an eating disorder may decrease the chances of pregnancy, sometimes women with anorexia or bulimia do become pregnant. When this happens, steps should be taken to protect the health of the mother and the baby. Professionals can address the specific needs related to pregnancy and disordered eating only if you are willing to be completely honest with them about your struggles. If you are pregnant and struggling with disordered eating?

• Be HONEST with your prenatal health provider regarding past or present struggles with an eating disorder or disordered eating.
• Extra appointments with your prenatal health provider may be necessary to more closely track the growth and development of your baby.
• Consult a nutritionist with expertise in eating disorders before or immediately after becoming pregnant. Work with the nutritionist throughout the pregnancy to create a plan for healthy eating and weight gain. Continue to see her post-partum. She can help you return to a normal weight through healthy means.
• Individual counseling during and after pregnancy can help you cope with your concerns and fears regarding food, weight gain, body image and the new role of mothering.
• Attend a support group for people with eating disorders.
• If your doctor approves, attend a prenatal exercise class. It can help you practice healthy limits to exercising.
• Other classes on pregnancy, childbirth, child development and parenting skills can also be helpful in preparing to become a mother.
• Allow your prenatal health provider to weigh you. This information is essential to track the health of your baby. If you would prefer not to monitor your weight gain, ask your doctor about standing on the scale backwards.
• Under certain circumstances, for example if you suffer from severe depression or obsessive- compulsive problems, you may require medications for these conditions even during pregnancy.

The skills and support of a multidisciplinary team of health care providers and of family and friends can help you deliver a healthy baby and protect yourself.

Sharing with EEEase

How to Talk About Eating Concerns Using the Three Es of Expression


When you begin to notice that disordered eating habits are affecting your life, your happiness, and your ability to concentrate, it is important that you talk to somebody about what you're going through.


What is Disordered Eating?
Disordered eating is when a person?s attitudes about food, weight, and body size lead to very rigid eating and exercise habits that jeopardize one`s health, happiness, and safety. Disordered eating may begin as a way to lose a few pounds or get in shape, but these behaviors can quickly get out of control, become obsessions, and may even turn into an eating disorder.
When you begin to notice that disordered eating habits are affecting your life, your happiness, and your ability to concentrate, it is important that you talk to somebody about what you?re going through. Although you might not be struggling with an eating disorder, sometimes it is necessary to recognize disordered eating tendencies and address them before they escalate into a life-threatening problem.
If you are able to recognize disordered eating attitudes and behaviors in yourself, you have already taken the first step toward a happy, healthy, balanced way of life. The second step ? telling a trusted friend, family member, or professional counselor/nutritionist - is equally important. You should not attempt to address your disordered eating alone.
You will benefit from the support of others and the comfort of discussing the
feelings you?re experiencing. Because many individuals who are dealing with disordered eating have found it difficult to tell somebody what they are going through and what behaviors they?ve adopted, we have created this guideline of things to say in order to make the initial conversation a bit easier. Remember that this is not a script and that everyone?s situation is different. If you have additional questions or concerns, call the National Eating Disorders Association`s toll-free Information and Referral helpline at 1-800-931-2237.

What are the Three E?s of Expression?

1. Establish a Safe Environment
   Once you have decided to tell somebody about the habits you have adopted, identify someone that you trust and feel comfortable talking to. Next, set aside a specific time with that person so you can discuss your situation. To make things most comfortable for you, try to find a private, comfortable place away from other people and distractions. This will help you talk openly about your concerns and feelings. Both before and during this conversation, it is normal for you to experience a range of feelings including fear, shame, anger, embarrassment, or nervousness. To keep up the courage to talk about what you`re going through, remember that you are doing the right thing. It is important to talk about this and ask for help!
   You should be proud of yourself for taking the first steps toward a healthy, well-balanced lifestyle!
   
   
   
2. Explain the Situation
   Using specific details, explain the thoughts and feelings that you are having and the behaviors you have developed. Starting from the beginning, talk about how you began the disordered eating habits and why you feel pressured to continue them (It is a good idea to prepare yourself ahead of time and write these things down or practice saying them aloud). Although you may not be able to fully explain the reasons for your eating and exercise rituals, attempting to do so may help you recognize some of the connections you make between eating, exercise, and self-esteem. It is important to keep in mind that the person you have confided in may not completely understand exactly how you are feeling or the reasons for your behavior. They may demonstrate shock, denial, fear or even anger. Be patient and remain calm. Remember that they may not automatically know the best way to respond and support you, but you can help them learn how. Educate them with the facts and explain what you need from them during your recovery process.
   
   
   
3. Educate with the facts
   Give the person you confide in some information regarding the prevalence of eating disorders and tips for how to best support somebody who is struggling with food, weight or body image issues. Share facts with them that include the physical and emotional effects of eating disorders, along with the steps involved in recovery. Give them some handouts from the National Eating Disorders Association (available at www.NationalEatingDisorders.org) and the toll-free information and referral helpline number (1-800-931-2237). Be sure to let this person know how they can help and what you need, and keep them informed as your needs change throughout your recovery process. Remind them that recovery is a gradual process, there may even be some setbacks, and you will require patience and understanding along the way.

Who should I tell?
In addition to a trusted friend or family member, it is advisable to seek help from a professional counselor and/or nutritionist. Getting help from a professional who understands and specializes in eating, weight, and body image issues is essential during recovery from an eating disorder. Confiding in a counselor or nutritionist can feel less threatening and more objective because they are familiar with situations like your own. The National Eating Disorders Association provides lists of treatment providers in every state. These are people that specialize in the treatment of eating disorders and offer support services, medical advice, and nutritional therapy. To locate a treatment professional near you, call 1-800-931-2237
What should I say?
Be as specific as possible when explaining what you are going through. It may be helpful to develop a script based on the following questions. Include whatever answers you are comfortable revealing and remember that the more you include, the better the person you?re speaking with will understand and be able to help.

• When did you begin having different thoughts regarding food, weight, or exercise? What were the thoughts?
• When did the different behaviors start? What was the behavior? How were you feeling at the time? Did you hope to accomplish something specific (i.e., lose weight, maintain weight, gain control of something, get somebody?s attention, see what it was like) in doing this behavior?
• Have you noticed any physical health effects? (may include fatigue, loss of hair, digestive problems, loss of menstrual cycle, heart palpitations, etc.) Have you noticed any emotional effects?
• How are you currently feeling physically? Emotionally? Do you feel ready to stop the disordered eating behaviors?
• How can the people in your life best support you? Do you want them to monitor your behavior? Do you want them to ask you how you are doing with your recovery or would you rather tell them about it when you`re ready?
• What changes are you willing to make in your life to establish a healthy lifestyle?

What are the Facts?
It is important to realize that you are not alone in your struggle. Studies have shown that 5-10 million girls and women, and 1 million boys and men, are struggling with eating disorders including anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, and related conditions. The National Eating Disorders Association has created several brochures and handouts about body image, the dangers of dieting, and how to help a friend who is struggling with disordered eating tendencies. Along with this, we have information regarding eating disorders, their precursors, their prevalence, ways to combat them, and their prevention and treatment. This information is available through the toll-free Information and Referral Line at 1-800-931-2237. You may find it helpful to review these resources and provide them for your loved ones. Good Luck! As you begin to address your eating concerns, keep in mind that you are a special and unique individual! Regardless of the numbers on the scale, the size, shape, and curve of your body, you have qualities about you that nobody else has. As you begin to let go of the dieting mindset, you will notice how wonderful it can be to enjoy life without being consumed with thoughts of food and weight. Rest assured that you can return to a mindset where your happiness and self-image are not based on your reflection in the mirror or your weight on the scale.

What's Going On With Me?

Evaluating Eating and Exercise Habits

Living in our culture, it's not surprising if you feel you have to look a certain way to be happy or even healthy. However, the things you are doing to be thin can quickly spin out of control and become a serious life-threatening eating disorder.

• Do you spend time wishing parts of your body looked different?
• Are you unhappy with your reflection in the mirror?
• Do you skip meals?
• Do you count the calories or fat grams in anything you eat?
• Do you exercise so much that you are fatigued or have frequent injuries?

If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, keep reading? What is Disordered Eating? Disordered eating is when a person?s attitudes about food, weight, and body size lead to very rigid eating and exercise habits that jeopardize one`s health, happiness, and safety. Disordered eating may begin as a way to lose a few pounds or get in shape, but these behaviors can quickly get out of control, become obsessions, and may even turn into an eating disorder. Even if you don?t have a full-blown eating disorder, you may be missing out on living while you spend all your time dieting! Just because you weigh yourself, skip meals, count calories, or over-exercise doesn?t necessarily mean that you have an eating disorder. But you may be dealing with what`s called "disordered eating." Wonder if you`re dealing with disordered eating?
Think about this?

• Do you avoid eating meals or snacks when you`re around other people?
• Do you constantly calculate numbers of fat grams and calories?
• Do you weigh yourself often and find yourself obsessed with the number on the scale?
• Do you exercise because you feel like you have to, not because you want to?
• Are you afraid of gaining weight?
• Do you ever feel out of control when you are eating?
• Do your eating patterns include extreme dieting, preferences for certain foods, withdrawn or ritualized behavior at mealtime, or secretive bingeing?
• Has weight loss, dieting, and/or control of food become one of your major concerns?
• Do you feel ashamed, disgusted, or guilty after eating?
• Do you worry about the weight, shape, or size of your body?
• Do you feel like your identity and value is based on how you look or how much you weigh?

If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, you could be dealing with disordered eating. It is likely that these attitudes and behaviors are taking a toll on your mental and physical well being. It is important that you start to talk about your eating habits and concerns now, rather than waiting until your situation gets more serious than you can handle. What Do I Do Now? Talk about it! Tell a friend, teacher, parent, coach, youth group leader, doctor, counselor, or nutritionist what you`re going through. If that seems too scary or too difficult, you may want to check out the National Eating Disorders Association`s Sharing with EEEase handout. It will help you plan what to say the first time you talk to someone about your eating and exercise habits. It is important to get some support to change the thoughts and behaviors you are experiencing now. It could save your life - and isn`t your health and happiness worth it?

Anorexia Nervosa in Males

Anorexia Nervosa is a severe, life-threatening disorder in which the individual refuses to maintain a minimally normal body weight, is intensely afraid of gaining weight, and exhibits a significant distortion in the perception of the shape or size of his body, as well as dissatisfaction with his body shape and size.


Behavioral Characteristics:

• Excessive dieting, fasting, restricted diet
• Food rituals
• Preoccupation with body building, weight lifting, or muscle toning
• Compulsive exercise
• Difficulty eating with others, lying about eating
• Frequently weighing self
• Preoccupation with food
• Focus on certain body parts; e.g., buttocks, thighs, stomach
• Disgust with body size or shape
• Distortion of body size; i.e., feels fat even though others tell him he is already very thin

Emotional and Mental Characteristics:

• Intense fear of becoming fat or gaining weight
• Depression
• Social isolation
• Strong need to be in control
• Rigid, inflexible thinking, ?all or nothing?
• Decreased interest in sex or fears around sex
• Possible conflict over gender identity or sexual orientation
• Low sense of self worth -- uses weight as a measure of worth
• Difficulty expressing feelings
• Perfectionistic -- strives to be the neatest, thinnest, smartest, etc.
• Difficulty thinking clearly or concentrating
• Irritability, denial -- believes others are overreacting to his low weight or caloric restriction
• Insomnia

Physical Characteristics:

• Low body weight (15% or more below what is expected for age, height, activity level)
• Lack of energy, fatigue
• Muscular weakness
• Decreased balance, unsteady gait
• Lowered body temperature, blood pressure, pulse rate
• Tingling in hands and feet
• Thinning hair or hair loss
• Lanugo (downy growth of body hair)
• Heart arrhythmia
• Lowered testosterone levels

Binge Eating Disorder in Males

Binge eating disorder is a severe, life-threatening disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of compulsive overeating or binge eating. In binge eating disorder, the purging in an attempt to prevent weight gain that is characteristic of bulimia nervosa is absent.


Behavioral Characteristics:

• Recurrent episodes of binge eating
• Eating much more rapidly than normal
• A sense of lack of control over eating during binge episodes
• Eating large amounts of food when not feeling physically hungry
• Hoarding food
• Hiding food and eating in secret; e.g., eating alone or in the car, hiding wrappers
• Eating until feeling uncomfortably full
• Eating throughout the day with no planned mealtimes

Emotional and Mental Characteristics:

• Feelings of disgust, guilt, or depression during and after overeating
• Binge eating often triggered by uncomfortable feelings such as anger, anxiety, or shame
• Binge eating used as a means of relieving tension, or to ?numb? feelings
• Rigid, inflexible ?all or nothing? thinking
• Strong need to be in control
• Difficulty expressing feelings and needs
• Perfectionistic
• Works hard to please others
• Avoids conflict, tries to ?keep the peace?
• Disgust about body size, often teased about their body while growing up
• Feelings of worthlessness
• Social isolation
• Depression
• Moodiness and irritability

Physical Characteristics:

• Heart and blood pressure problems
• Joint problems
• Abnormal blood-sugar levels
• Fatigue
• Difficulty walking or engaging in physical activities

Bulimia Nervosa In Males

Bulimia nervosa is a severe, life-threatening disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of binge eating followed by self-induced vomiting or other purging methods (e.g. laxatives, diuretics, excessive exercise, fasting) in an attempt to avoid weight gain.


Behavioral Characteristics:

• Recurrent episodes of binge eating: eating an amount of food that is definitely larger than most people would eat during a similar period of time and under similar circumstances
• A sense of lack of control over eating during binge episodes
• Recurrent purging or compensatory behavior to prevent weight gain: secretive self-induced vomiting, misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or fasting, compulsive exercise (possibly including excessive running, body building, or weight lifting)
• Hoarding of food, hiding food and eating in secret
• Frequently weighing self
• Preoccupation with food
• Focus on certain body parts; e.g., buttocks, thighs, stomach
• Disgust with body size or shape
• Distortion of body size; i.e., feels fat even though he may be thin

Emotional and Mental Characteristics:

• Intense fear of becoming fat or gaining weight
• Performance and appearance oriented
• Works hard to please others
• Depression
• Social isolation
• Possible conflict over gender identity or sexual orientation
• Strong need to be in control
• Difficulty expressing feelings
• Feelings of worthlessness -- uses weight, appearance, and achievement as measures of worth
• Rigid, inflexible ?all or nothing? thinking

Physical Characteristics:

• Weight fluctuations
• Loss of dental enamel due to self-induced vomiting
• Edema (fluid retention or bloating)
• Constipation
• Swollen salivary glands
• Cardiac arrhythmia due to electrolyte imbalances
• Esophageal tears, gastric rupture
• Lack of energy, fatigue

Research on Males and Eating Disorders
Compiled by Tom Shilts, MS, CADIII, Rogers Memorial Hospital, Oconomowoc, WI Approximately 10% of eating disordered individuals coming to the attention of mental health professionals are male.


Prevalence of Eating Disorders Among Males:

• Approximately 10% of eating disordered individuals coming to the attention of mental health professionals are male (Wolf, 1991; Fairburn & Beglin, 1990).
  
• There is a broad consensus, however, that eating disorders in males are clinically similar to, if not indistinguishable from, eating disorders in females (Margo 1987; Schneider & Agras, 1987; Crisp et al., 1986; Vandereycken & Van der Broucke, 1984).

Gender Differences Regarding Dieting and Body Shape:

• A national survey of 11,467 high school students and 60,861 adults revealed the following gender differences (Serdula et al., 1993):
  
• Among the adults, 38% of the women and 24% of the men were trying to lose weight.
  
• Among high school students, 44% of the females and 15% of the males were attempting to lose weight.
  
• Based on a questionnaire administered to 226 college students (98 males and 128 females) concerning weight, body shape, dieting, and exercise history, the authors found that 26% of the men and 48% of the women described themselves as overweight. Women dieted to lose weight whereas men usually exercised (Drewnowski & Yee, 1987).
  
• A sample of 1,373 high school students revealed that girls (63%) were four times more likely than boys (16%) to be attempting to reduce weight through exercise and caloric intake reduction. Boys were three times more likely than girls to be trying to gain weight (28% versus 9%). The cultural ideal for body shape for men versus women continues to favor slender women and athletic, V-shaped muscular men (Rosen & Gross, 1987).
  
• In general, men appear to be more comfortable with their weight and perceive less pressure to be thin than women. A national survey indicated that only 41% of men are dissatisfied with their weight as compared with 55% of women; moreover, 77% of underweight men liked their appearance as opposed to 83% of underweight women. Males were more likely than females to claim that if they were fit and exercised regularly, they felt good about their bodies. Women were more concerned with aspects of their appearance, particularly weight (Cash, Winstead, & Janda, 1986).

Occupational Hazards:

• Gymnasts, runners, body builders, rowers, wrestlers, jockeys, dancers, and swimmers are particularly vulnerable to eating disorders because their sports necessitate weight restriction (Andersen, Bartlett, Morgan, & Brownell, 1995). It is important to note, however, that weight loss in an attempt to improve athletic success differs from an eating disorder when the central psychopathology is absent.

Media:

• Nemeroff, Stein, Diehl, and Smolak (1994) suggest that males may be receiving increasing media messages regarding dieting, and ideal of muscularity, and plastic surgery options (such a pectoral and calf implants).
  
• DiDomenico and Andersen (1988) found that magazines targeted primarily to women included a greater number of articles and advertisements aimed at weight reduction (e.g., diet, calories) and those targeted at men contained more shape articles and advertisements (e.g., fitness, weight lifting, body building, or muscle toning). The magazines most read by females ages 18-24 had 10 times more diet content than those most popular among men in the same age group.

Sexual Attitudes, Behaviors and Endocrine Dysfunction:

• Males with anorexia display a considerable degree of anxiety with regard to sexual activities and relationships. Fichter and Daser (1987) compared males and females with anorexia and found that males displayed significantly more sexual anxieties than did females. The authors noted that 80% of the males in their study grew up in families that regarded sex as a taboo subject. Corresponding with the reported sexual anxiety, low levels of sexual activity among the males with anorexia were also noted.
  
• Burns and Crisp (1984) found that males with anorexia in their study admitted ?obvious relief? at the diminution of their sexual drive during the acute phase of their disease.
  
• Eating-disordered males differed significantly from eating-disordered females in terms of sexual experience in a study conducted by Herzog et al. (1984). Males with eating disorders were significantly less likely to have had sexual relations before the onset of their eating disorder, or to be involved in a sexual relationship at the time of evaluation than were females with eating disorders. Males with bulimia, however, appear to be more sexually active than males with anorexia, both premorbidly and at the time of their illness (Pope et al., 1986).
  
• A study by Andersen and Mickalide (1983) suggest that a disproportionate number of males with anorexia may have a persisting or preexisting problems in testosterone production.

Gender Dysphoria and Homosexuality:

• Fichter and Daser (1987) found that males with anorexia saw themselves and were seen by others as more feminine than other men, both in attitudes and behavior. In general the males with anorexia appeared to identify more closely with their mothers than with their fathers.
  
• Homosexuals are over-represented in many samples of eating disordered men. While the proportion of male homosexuals in the general population cross-culturally is estimated to be 3%-5% (Whitman, 1983), samples of eating-disordered men are commonly twice as high or greater (Fichter & Daser, 1987).
  
• Several authors have noted that homosexual conflict preceded the onset of an eating disorder in up to 50% of male patients (Scott, 1986; Dally, 1969; Crisp, 1967).
  
• Conflict over gender identity or over sexual orientation may precipitate the development of an eating disorder in many males (Crisp, 1983). It may be that by reducing their sexual drive through starvation, patients can temporarily resolve their sexual conflicts (Crisp, 1970).
  
• Homosexual men may be at an increased risk for developing an eating disorder because of cultural pressures within the homosexual community to be thin (Schneider & Agras, 1987). Herzog et al., (1990) found that homosexual men weighed significantly less than heterosexual men, were more likely to be underweight and to desire an underweight ideal weight. Compared to the heterosexuals, homosexual men were less satisfied with their body build, and scored significantly higher on the ?Drive for Thinness? scale of the Eating Disorders Inventory (EDI).

Body Image:

• Body image concerns may be important predictors of eating disorders in males. Wertheim et al., (1992) found that a desire to be thinner was a more important predictor of weight loss behaviors than psychological or family variables, for both male and female adolescents.
  
• Kearney-Cooke and Steichen-Asch (1990) found that the preferred body shape for contemporary men without eating disorders was the V-shaped body, whereas the eating-disordered group strove for the ?lean, toned, thin? shape. The authors found that most of the men with eating disorders reported negative reactions from their peers. They reported being the last ones chosen for athletic teams and often cited being teased about their bodies as the times when they felt most ashamed of their bodies.

Family Influences and Personality Variables:

• Kearney-Cooke and Steichen-Asch (1990) found that men with eating disorders tend to have dependent, avoidant, and passive-aggressive personality styles, and to have experienced negative reactions to their bodies from their peers while growing up. They tend to be closer to their mothers than their fathers. The authors concluded that ?in our culture, muscular build, overt physical aggression, competence at athletics, competitiveness, and independence generally are regarded as desirable for males, whereas dependency, passivity, inhibition of physical aggression, smallness, and neatness are seen as more appropriate for females. Boys who later develop eating disorders do not conform to the cultural expectations for masculinity; they tend to be more dependent, passive, and non-athletic, traits which may lead to feelings of isolation and disparagement of body.?

How to Help a Friend with Eating and Body Image Issues

You cannot force someone to seek help, change their habits, or adjust their attitudes. You will make important progress in honestly sharing your concerns, providing support, and knowing where to go for more information!


If you are reading this handout, chances are you are concerned about the eating habits, weight, or body image of someone you care about. We understand that this can be a very difficult and scary time for you. Let us assure you that you are doing a great thing by looking for more information! This list may not tell you everything you need to know about what to do in your specific situation, but it will give you some helpful ideas on what to do to help your friend.

• Learn as much as you can about eating disorders. Read books, articles, and brochures.
  
• Know the differences between facts and myths about weight, nutrition, and exercise. Knowing the facts will help you reason against any inaccurate ideas that your friend may be using as excuses to maintain their disordered eating patterns.
  
• Be honest. Talk openly and honestly about your concerns with the person who is struggling with eating or body image problems. Avoiding it or ignoring it won?t help!
  
• Be caring, but be firm. Caring about your friend does not mean being manipulated by them. Your friend must be responsible for their actions and the consequences of those actions. Avoid making rules, promises, or expectations that you cannot or will not uphold. For example, ?I promise not to tell anyone.? Or, ?If you do this one more time I?ll never talk to you again.?
  
• Compliment your friend?s wonderful personality, successes, or accomplishments. Remind your friend that ?true beauty? is not simply skin deep.
  
• Be a good role model in regard to sensible eating, exercise, and self-acceptance.
  
• Tell someone. It may seem difficult to know when, if at all, to tell someone else about your concerns. Addressing body image or eating problems in their beginning stages offers your friend the best chance for working through these issues and becoming healthy again. Don't wait until the situation is so severe that your friend's life is in danger. Your friend needs as much support and understanding as possible

Seeking Treatment
Eating disorders are serious health conditions that can be both physically and emotionally destructive.
People with eating disorders need to seek professional help. Early diagnosis and intervention significantly enhances recovery. If not identified or treated in their early stages, eating disorders can become chronic, debilitating, and even life-threatening conditions.

Treatment is Available. Recovery is Possible.

What does treatment involve?
The most effective and long-lasting treatment for an eating disorder is some form of psychotherapy or psychological counseling, coupled with careful attention to medical and nutritional needs. Ideally, this treatment should be tailored to the individual and will vary according to both the severity of the disorder and the patient's particular problems, needs, and strengths.

• Psychological counseling must address both the eating disordered symptoms and the underlying psychological, interpersonal, and cultural forces that contributed to the eating disorder. Typically care is provided by a licensed health professional, including but not limited to a psychologist, psychiatrist, social worker, nutritionist, and/or medical doctor. Care should be coordinated and provided by a health professional with expertise and experience in dealing with eating disorders.
  
• Many people with eating disorders respond to outpatient therapy, including individual, group, or family therapy and medical management by their primary care provider. Support groups, nutritional counseling, and psychiatric medications under careful medical supervision have also proven helpful for some individuals.
• Hospital Based Care (including inpatient, partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient and/or residential care in an eating disorders specialty unit or facility) is necessary when an eating disorder has led to physical problems that may be life-threatening, or when it is associated with severe psychological or behavioral problems.
  
• The exact treatment needs of each individual will vary. It is important for individuals struggling with an eating disorder to find a health professional they trust to help coordinate and oversee their care

Eating Disorders Can Be Prevented!
Compiled by Michael Levine, Ph.D. and Margo Maine, Ph.D Eating disorders arise from a variety of physical, emotional, social, and familial issues, all of which need to be addressed for effective prevention and treatment.


What is Eating Disorders Prevention? Prevention is any systematic attempt to change the circumstances that promote, initiate, sustain, or intensify problems like eating disorders.

• Primary prevention refers to programs or efforts that are designed to prevent the occurrence of eating disorders before they begin. Primary prevention is intended to help promote healthy development.
• Secondary prevention (sometimes called "targeted prevention") refers to programs or efforts that are designed to promote the early identification of an eating disorder---to recognize and treat an eating disorder before it spirals out of control. The earlier an eating disorder is discovered and addressed, the better the chance for recovery.

Basic Principles for the Prevention of Eating Disorders

1. Eating disorders are serious and complex problems. We need to be careful to avoid thinking of them in simplistic terms, like "anorexia is just a plea for attention," or "bulimia is just an addiction to food." Eating disorders arise from a variety of physical, emotional, social, and familial issues, all of which need to be addressed for effective prevention and treatment.
   
2. Eating disorders are not just a "woman`s problem" or "something for the girls." Males who are preoccupied with shape and weight can also develop eating disorders as well as dangerous shape control practices like steroid use. In addition, males play an important role in prevention. The objectification and other forms of mistreatment of women by others contribute directly to two underlying features of an eating disorder: obsession with appearance and shame about one`s body.
   
3. Prevention efforts will fail, or worse, inadvertently encourage disordered eating, if they concentrate solely on warning the public about the signs, symptoms, and dangers of eating disorders. Effective prevention programs must also address:
   • Our cultural obsession with slenderness as a physical, psychological, and moral issue.
   • The roles of men and women in our society.
   • The development of people`s self-esteem and self-respect in a variety of areas (school, work, community service, hobbies) that transcend physical appearance.
4. Whenever possible, prevention programs for schools, community organizations, etc., should be coordinated with opportunities for participants to speak confidentially with a trained professional with expertise in the field of eating disorders, and, when appropriate, receive referrals to sources of competent, specialized care.

Facts for Activists (or anyone!)

In spite of the unprecedented growth of eating disorders in the past two decades, eating disorders research continues to be under-funded, insurance coverage for treatment is inadequate, and societal pressures to be thin remain rampant.


Use these attention-grabbing statistics in your legislative advocacy efforts, outreach and education. Show others that eating disorders are serious, costly illnesses that can no longer be overlooked and ignored.

• In the United States, eating disorders are more common than Alzheimer?s disease (5-10 million people have eating disorders compared to 4 million with Alzheimer?s disease).
  
  
• Despite its prevalence, there is inadequate research funding for eating disorders. Funding for eating disorders research is approximately 75% less than that for Alzheimer?s disease. In the year 2005, the National Institute of Health (NIH) funded the following disorders accordingly:

Illness Prevalence Research Funds
Eating disorders: 10 million $12,000,000*
Alzheimer?s disease: 4.5 million $647,000,000
Schizophrenia: 2.2 million $350,000,000 *
The reported research funds are for anorexia nervosa only. No estimated funding is reported for bulimia nervosa or eating disorders not otherwise specified.

• Anorexia nervosa is more expensive to treat than schizophrenia, yet insurance coverage for treatment is exceedingly insufficient. The average direct medical costs for treating anorexia nervosa is $6054 a year compared to $4824 a year for Schizophrenia.
  
  
• Research dollars spent on eating disorders averaged $1.20 per affected individual, compared to $159 per affected individual for schizophrenia.
  
  
• The average direct medical costs for treating eating disorder patients in the United States is currently between $5-6 Billion per year, whereas the global cost of anti-psychotic medication is $7 Billion per year.
  
  
• Anorexia nervosa has the highest premature mortality rate of any psychiatric disorder. The majority of deaths are due to physiological complications.
  
  
• Although recovery from anorexia nervosa is often protracted nearly a decade, the outcome of treatment is better than for obesity or breast cancer.

Statistics: Eating Disorders and their Precursors

In the United States, as many as 10 million females and 1 million males are fighting a life and death battle with an eating disorder such as anorexia or bulimia. Approximately 25 million more are struggling with binge eating disorder (Crowther et al., 1992; Fairburn et al., 1993; Gordon, 1990; Hoek, 1995; Shisslak et al., 1995).


Because of the secretiveness and shame associated with eating disorders, many cases are probably not reported. In addition, many individuals struggle with body dissatisfaction and sub-clinical disordered eating attitudes and behaviors. For example, it has been shown that 80% of American women are dissatisfied with their appearance (Smolak, 1996).

• For females between fifteen to twenty-four years old who suffer from anorexia nervosa, the mortality rate associated with the illness is twelve times higher than the death rate of ALL other causes of death (Sullivan, 1995).
• Anorexia nervosa has the highest premature fatality rate of any mental illness (Sullivan, 1995).

In a 2003 review of the literature, Hoek and van Hoeken found:

• 40% of newly identified cases of anorexia are in girls 15-19 years old.
• Significant increase in incidence of anorexia from 1935 to 1989 especially among young women 15-24.
• A rise in incidence of anorexia in young women 15-19 in each decade since 1930.
• The incidence of bulimia in 10-39 year old women TRIPLED between 1988 and 1993.
• Only one-third of people with anorexia in the community receive mental health care.
• Only 6% of people with bulimia receive mental health care.
• The majority of people with severe eating disorders do not receive adequate care.

Despite its prevalence, there is inadequate research funding for eating disorders. Funding for eating disorders research is approximately 75% less than that for Alzheimer?s disease. In the year 2005, the National Institute of Health (NIH) funded the following disorders accordingly:

Illness:Prevalence - Research Funds
Eating disorders: 10 million - $12,000,000*
Alzheimer?s disease: 4.5 million - $647,000,000
Schizophrenia: 2.2 million - $350,000,000 *
The reported research funds are for anorexia nervosa only. No estimated funding is reported for bulimia nervosa or eating disorders not otherwise specified. Research dollars spent on eating disorders averaged $1.20 per affected individual, compared to $159 per affected individual for schizophrenia.

American Public Opinion on Eating Disorders In March 2005, NEDA contracted with Global Market Insite, Inc. (GMI), a leader in global market research, to conduct a 1,500 nationwide sample of adults in the U.S. Their findings concluded from those surveyed that:

• Three out of four Americans believe eating disorders should be covered by insurance companies just like any other illness.
• Americans believe that government should require insurance companies to cover the treatment of eating disorders.
• Four out of ten Americans either suffered or have known someone who has suffered from an eating disorder.

Dieting and The Drive for Thinness

• Over one-half of teenage girls and nearly one-third of teenage boys use unhealthy weight control behaviors such as skipping meals, fasting, smoking cigarettes, vomiting, and taking laxatives (Neumark-Sztainer, 2005).
• Girls who diet frequently are 12 times as likely to binge as girls who don?t diet (Neumark-Sztainer, 2005).
• 42% of 1st-3rd grade girls want to be thinner (Collins, 1991).
• 81% of 10 year olds are afraid of being fat (Mellin et al., 1991).
• 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 (Smolak, 1996).
• 46% of 9-11 year-olds are ?sometimes? or ?very often? on diets, and 82% of their families are ?sometimes? or ?very often? on diets (Gustafson-Larson & Terry, 1992).
• 91% of women recently surveyed on a college campus had attempted to control their weight through dieting, 22% dieted ?often? or ?always? (Kurth et al., 1995).
• 95% of all dieters will regain their lost weight in 1-5 years (Grodstein, et al., 1996).
• 35% of ?normal dieters? progress to pathological dieting. Of those, 20-25% progress to partial or full-syndrome eating disorders (Shisslak & Crago, 1995).
• 25% of American men and 45% of American women are on a diet on any given day (Smolak, 1996).
• Americans spend over $40 billion on dieting and diet-related products each year (Smolak, 1996).