Eating Disorder Awareness Week Coming Soon!

[Done-With-It!]

Eating Disorder Awareness Week is February 21-27

This year, NEDA is asking for everyone to do just one thing to help raise awareness and provide accurate information about eating disorders.
You can help in a huge range of ways to contribute: Distribute info pamphlets and put up posters, write one letter for Media Watchdogs, register as a Volunteer Speaker or host a Volunteer Speaker, coordinate an event,
post awareness posts, reach out to friends in need, anything you can think
of that may help to get our message across.





* It is estimated that 8 million Americans have an eating disorder – seven million women and one million men
* One in 200 American women suffers from anorexia
* Two to three in 100 American women suffers from bulimia
* Nearly half of all Americans personally know someone with an eating disorder (Note: One in five Americans suffers from mental illnesses.)
* An estimated 10 – 15% of people with anorexia or bulimia are males

MORTALITY RATES

* Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness
* A study by the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders reported that 5 – 10% of anorexics die within 10 years after contracting the disease; 18-20% of anorexics will be dead after 20 years and only 30 – 40% ever fully recover
* The mortality rate associated with anorexia nervosa is 12 times higher than the death rate of ALL causes of death for females 15 – 24 years old.
* 20% of people suffering from anorexia will prematurely die from complications related to their eating disorder, including suicide and heart problems

ACCESS TO TREATMENT

* Only 1 in 10 people with eating disorders receive treatment
* About 80% of the girls/women who have accessed care for their eating disorders do not get the intensity of treatment they need to stay in recovery – they are often sent home weeks earlier than the recommended stay
* Treatment of an eating disorder in the US ranges from $500 per day to $2,000 per day. The average cost for a month of inpatient treatment is $30,000. It is estimated that individuals with eating disorders need anywhere from 3 – 6 months of inpatient care. Health insurance companies for several reasons do not typically cover the cost of treating eating disorders
* The cost of outpatient treatment, including therapy and medical monitoring, can extend to $100,000 or more

ADOLESCENTS

* Anorexia is the 3rd most common chronic illness among adolescents
* 95% of those who have eating disorders are between the ages of 12 and 25
* 50% of girls between the ages of 11 and 13 see themselves as overweight
* 80% of 13-year-olds have attempted to lose weight

Information, Education and Help for those suffering and loved ones of those can be found here, National Eating Disorders Association