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Thanks
to the National Institute of Mental Health
for the following information.
Eating
Disorders: Facts About Eating Disorders and the Search for Solutions - 3
The course and outcome of
anorexia nervosa vary across individuals: some fully recover after a
single episode; some have a fluctuating pattern of weight gain and
relapse; and others experience a chronically deteriorating course of
illness over many years. The mortality rate among people with anorexia has
been estimated at 0.56 percent per year, or approximately 5.6 percent per
decade, which is about 12 times higher than the annual death rate due to
all causes of death among females ages 15-24 in the general population.
The most common causes of death are complications of the disorder, such as
cardiac arrest or electrolyte imbalance, and suicide.
Bulimia Nervosa
An estimated 1.1 percent to 4.2 percent of females have bulimia nervosa in
their lifetime. Symptoms of bulimia nervosa include:
- Recurrent episodes of
binge eating, characterized by eating an excessive amount of food within
a discrete period of time and by a sense of lack of control over eating
during the episode
- Recurrent
inappropriate compensatory behavior in order to prevent weight gain,
such as self-induced vomiting or misuse of laxatives, diuretics, enemas,
or other medications (purging); fasting; or excessive exercise
- The binge eating and
inappropriate compensatory behaviors both occur, on average, at least
twice a week for 3 months
- Self-evaluation is
unduly influenced by body shape and weight
Because purging or other
compensatory behavior follows the binge-eating episodes, people with
bulimia usually weigh within the normal range for their age and height.
However, like individuals with anorexia, they may fear gaining weight,
desire to lose weight, and feel intensely dissatisfied with their bodies.
People with bulimia often perform the behaviors in secrecy, feeling
disgusted and ashamed when they binge, yet relieved once they purge.
Part 1 |
Part 2
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| Part 4
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