|
Mental Health: Facts & Statistics
EATING DISORDERS
There are three main types of eating disorders: anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder.
- Females are much more likely than males to develop an eating disorder. Only an estimated 5 to 15 percent of people with anorexia or bulimia and an estimated 35 percent of those with binge-eating disorder are male. – National Institute of Mental Health, 2001
- The mortality rate among people with anorexia has been estimated at 0.56 percent per year, or approximately 5.6 percent per decade, which is about 12 times higher than the annual death rate due to all causes of death among females ages 15-24 in the general population. – National Institute of Mental Health, 2001
ANOREXIA NERVOSA
- An estimated 0.5 to 3.7 percent of females suffer from anorexia nervosa in their lifetime. – National Institute of Mental Health, 2001
- Symptoms Include:
- Resistance to maintaining body weight at or above a minimally normal weight for age and height
- Intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat, even though underweight
- Disturbance in the way in which one's body weight or shape is experienced, undue influence of body weight or shape on self-evaluation, or denial of the seriousness of the current low body weight
- Infrequent or absent menstrual periods (in females who have reached puberty)
– National Institute of Mental Health, 2001
BULIMIA NERVOSA
- An estimated 1.1 percent to 4.2 percent of females have bulimia nervosa in their lifetime. – National Institute of Mental Health, 2001
- Symptoms Include:
- Recurrent episodes of binge eating, characterized by eating an excessive amount of food within a discrete period of time and by a sense of lack of control over eating during the episode
- Recurrent inappropriate compensatory behavior in order to prevent weight gain, such as self-induced vomiting or misuse of laxatives, diuretics, enemas, or other medications (purging); fasting; or excessive exercise
- The binge eating and inappropriate compensatory behaviors both occur, on average, at least twice a week for 3 months
- Self-evaluation is unduly influenced by body shape and weight
– National Institute of Mental Health, 2001
BINGE-EATING DISORDER
- Community surveys have estimated that between 2 percent and 5 percent of Americans experience binge-eating disorder in a 6-month period. – National Institute of Mental Health, 2001
- Symptoms Include:
- Recurrent episodes of binge eating, characterized by eating an excessive amount of food within a discrete period of time and by a sense of lack of control over eating during the episode
- The binge-eating episodes are associated with at least 3 of the following: eating much more rapidly than normal; eating until feeling uncomfortably full; eating large amounts of food when not feeling physically hungry; eating alone because of being embarrassed by how much one is eating; feeling disgusted with oneself, depressed, or very guilty after overeating
- Marked distress about the binge-eating behavior
- The binge eating occurs, on average, at least 2 days a week for 6 months
- The binge eating is not associated with the regular use of inappropriate compensatory behaviors (e.g., purging, fasting, excessive exercise)
– National Institute of Mental Health, 2001
|
Subsections:
Myths & Facts:
Specific Mental Illnesses:
|
