EATING DISORDER STATISTICS
(Resource: www.state.sc.us/dmh/anorexia/statistics.htm)
Prevalence
- It is estimated that 8 million Americans have an eating disorder
- 7 million women
- 1 million men
- 1 in 200 American women suffers from anorexia
- 2-3 in 100 American women suffers from bulimia
- Nearly half of all Americans personally know someone with an eating disorder (Note: 1 in 5 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 and Associated Disorders reported that 5-10% of anorexics die within 10 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 complication related to their eating disorder, including suicide and heart problems
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