This article will discuss eating disorders, including key facts, statistics, mortality rates, and causes.
Many people with eating disorders eat too little or too much.
They may also have a distorted body image, a fixation on their weight, and/or low self-esteem.
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In some cases, they may be fatal.
Treatment for eating disorders typically involvespsychotherapyand/or medication.
Residential treatment may be necessary in severe cases.
How Common Are Eating Disorders?
Eating disorders affect millions of people in the U.S. every year.
Eating disorders appear to have become more common in recent years.
One review of worldwide data found that eating disorder diagnoses more than doubled from 2000 to 2018.
This trend was consistent across different regions, age groups, and genders.
Eating Disorders by Ethnicity
Researchers have noted thateating disorder ratesvary somewhat by ethnicity.
These differences may be due in part to differences in risk factors, cultural influences, and socioeconomic status.
However, access to healthcare also likely plays a role.
People of color report that they are significantly less likely to be asked abouteating disorder symptomsby healthcare providers.
A 2018 study found that the overall prevalence of eating disorders was similar across different racial and ethnic groups.
Still, anorexia and other eating disorders are especially common among younger people and women.
An estimated 1 in 4 people with an eating disorder is male.
Researchers believe that this disparity is due in part to social pressures that disproportionately affect women.
Adolescents and young adults are particularly vulnerable to eating disorders.
Estimated annual rates of eating disorder diagnoses rise steadily throughout the teen years among Americans.
Approximately 95% of first-time eating disorder cases are diagnosed before age 25.
Among young people, teen girls and college-aged women are disproportionately likely to develop eating disorders.
Some estimates suggest that between 1 in 50 and 1 in 100 adolescent girls will develop anorexia.
Eating Disorders in Children and Teens
Eating disorders are common among children and teens.
In fact, nearly 1 in 5 youth aged 11 to 17 exhibit symptoms of disordered eating patterns.
Causes of Eating Disorders and Risk Factors
Researchers havent identified one unifying cause foreating disorders.
What Are the Mortality Rates for Eating Disorders?
An estimated 10,200 people die each year in the U.S. as a direct result of an eating disorder.
If left untreated, anorexia is associated with a particularly heightened risk of fatal complications.
People with anorexia nervosa are about 5 to 6 times likelier to die than members of the general population.
However, treatment works to prevent many potential deaths related to eating disorder symptoms.
One study found that currenteating disorder treatmentsprevent about 42 deaths per 100,000 people under 40 in the U.S.
Eating disorders appear to be on the rise, with global rates more than doubling between 2000 and 2018.
While anyone can develop eating disorders, they are especially common among teen girls and young women.
Over 9 in 10 first-time eating disorder cases are diagnosed in people under 25.
Eating disorders are also some of the deadliest mental health diagnoses.
Anorexia is associated with particularly highmortality rates.
One systemic review and meta-analysis found that 16.4% of ballet dancers had at least one eating disorder.
Four percent of ballet dancers met the diagnostic criteria for anorexia nervosa.
Research suggests that professional and student athletes are more likely to develop eating disorders.
Estimated eating disorder prevalence rates among athletes are up to 19%.
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