Eating Disorder Information
- 11 million people have eating disorders in the United States
- 20% of people suffering from anorexia will die prematurely from complications related to their eating disorder
- Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness
- 11% of high school students have been diagnosed with an eating disorder
- Only 6% of people with bulimia receive mental health care
- 4% of college-aged women have bulimia
- 8% of women over the age of 50 are engaging in unhealthy weight control methods such as purging and the use of laxatives
- 25 million people struggle with binge eating disorder
- Only 1 in 10 people with an eating disorder receive treatment
- 40% of new anorexia cases are girls 15 – 19 years old
- Death rate is 12 times higher than all other causes of death for females 15 – 24 years old
- Nearly half of all Americans know someone with an eating disorder
- Anorexia is the 3rd most common chronic illness among adolescents
- 10-15% of people with anorexia are males
- High school and college wrestlers are 7-10 times more likely to develop bulimia nervosa than the average male
- Treatment can cost $1500 to $2000 per day - with initial inpatient treatment of more than $50,000
- The cost of outpatient treatment, including therapy and medical monitoring, can extend to $100,000
- Governor Patterson of NY has eliminated the $1.7M budget for Eating Disorder Comprehensive Care Centers
