ABOUT EATING DISORDERS
Eating disorders are currently defined as psychological disorders that are characterized by serious disturbances of eating behavior, such as anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorders.

Did you know that…
On any given day, 30 million American women and 18 million men in the United States are struggling with eating disorders including anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, or borderline conditions. (NEDA)

Young girls are more afraid of becoming fat than they are of nuclear war, cancer, or losing their parents.
 (The Council on Size and Weight Discrimination)

65% of 11 year-old girls worry that they are too fat and approximately
 80% of 11 year-old girls report dieting behavior. 
(Mellin, Irwin, and Scully 1982)

DISORDERED EATING
Disordered eating is the disturbance of natural intuitive eating patterns, including overeating, under-eating, purging, and dieting.

Did you know that…
On any given day, 30 million American women and 18 million men are on diets. (American Dietetic Assoc.)
98% of all dieters regain their weight back within 5 years.
 (Dr. Thomas Wadden, Univ. of Pennsylvania).
Individuals who diet are 8 times more likely to develop eating disorders (Dr. L.K. George Hsu).

ANOREXIA NERVOSA
Anorexia Nervosa is characterized by self-starvation in which there is excessive weight loss of at least 15% of body weight, a distorted body image and a design to maintain body weight below normal. Obsessive thinking about controlling food and weight may also by present, along with excessive exercising.

Did you know that…
Research suggests that about one percent (1%) of female adolescents have anorexia. That means that about one out of every one hundred young women between ten and twenty are starving themselves, sometimes to death. (ANRED)

BULIMIA NERVOSA
Bulimia Nervosa is a form of compulsive eating that is characterized by binge eating (eating large amounts of food) followed by some kind of purging. Types of purging may include vomiting, fasting, excessive exercise, or use of diuretics, laxitives or diet pills. Obsessive thinking about food and weight may also be present as an attempt to avoid emotional distress.

Did you know that…
Research suggests that about four percent (4%), or four out of one hundred, college-aged women have bulimia. About 50% of people who have been anorexic develop bulimia or bulimic patterns. (ANRED)

COMPULSIVE EATING
Compulsive eating is viewed as the attempt to take care of oneself through food, without the presence of physiological (stomach) hunger. The compulsive eater is generally out of touch with physiological cues that signal hunger and satisfaction, and may rely upon overeating to help cope with uncomfortable feelings. This may lead to binge eating and repetitive dieting and fasting. Obsessive thinking about food and weight may also be present as an attempt to avoid emotional distress.

BINGE EATING
Binge eating disorder is a relatively recently recognized disorder (it is sometimes referred to as compulsive overeating). The DSM IV includes in its definitions the following symptoms: eating a larger amount of food than normal during a short period of time (within any two hour period), lack of control over eating during the binge episode (i.e. the feeling that one cannot stop eating), and occuring, on average, at least 2 days a week for six months.

Did you know that…
Researchers estimate that approximately 25% of obese individuals suffer from frequent episodes of binge eating. 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 (NEDA).