Eating Disorders Statistics and Treatment Options

When people hear about others with eating disorders, they often ask “Why do they hate food?” Or they might say, “It would be so awful to throw up all that time. I couldn’t do it.”

This often prompts a good discussion where I can help fill in the gaps about the root causes of eating disorders. Disordered eating isn’t primarily about food; it’s all about control.

The majority of those with eating disorders struggle with taking control of their lives. Often, they feel as if everything is chaotic and beyond their control, except for food. Controlling their intake and appetite can give them a sense of power that they lack elsewhere in their lives.

This article will outline the hidden reality behind eating disorders and discuss some of the steps that need to be taken to recover from them.

What Causes Eating Disorders?

Eating disorders tend to crop up in multiple generations and in members of the same family. Either parent may have had problems with overeating or undereating, and these problems are often inherited by their children, who imitate their parents’ behavior.

Besides the issue of control in regard to food, children and/or teens sometimes develop eating disorders due to stress at home or school. While some people tend to overeat in response to stress, others are more likely to undereat. Everyone’s body processes food differently, too, which can affect how habits develop for a child or teen.

The Extent of Eating Disorders Statistics

Consider some eye-opening eating disorders statistics. The Washington State Department of Health stated in 2016 that anorexia nervosa afflicts 1% of adolescent girls in the United States, while 2-5% develop bulimia. Among chronic illness that affect American adolescents, anorexia is the third most common.

Eating disorders among males are less prevalent, but they do exist.  It is estimated that of the anorexia case found in older adolescents, somewhere between 19% and 30% of them are found in males.

The eating disorders statistics are both sobering and alarming, especially considering the physical and cognitive development that takes place during adolescence; all of this development causes plenty of upheaval in an adolescent’s life without the addition of an eating disorder to make things even more difficult.

Among adults, approximately 10 million women and 1 million men in the United States struggle with an eating disorder. 4 out of 10 Americans has either suffered from some sort of eating disorder themselves or are acquainted with another person who has.

During their lifespan, the following percentages of people will go through an eating disorder:

• .9% of women and .3% of men will wrestle with anorexia
• 5% of women and .5% of men will wrestle with bulimia
• 5 % of women and 2% of men will wrestle with binge eating

(National Institute of Mental Health, nimh.nih.gov, Eating Disorders, August 27, 2016).

How to Help People with Eating Disorders

For some, these statistics are meaningless, but you are one who struggles with an eating disorder, or who works with people who have eating disorders, the numbers are a sober reminder of what we’re dealing with. How can we help these people?

Counseling is crucial, for both individuals and families affected by these issues. Medication may be needed to treat related conditions like depression or anxiety. Group counseling may also be helpful, depending on how comfortable an individual is in a group setting, and whether they have the right personality for it.

Most importantly, it is critical for family members and friends to support individuals struggling with eating disorders and encourage them to seek help.

Eating Disorders Equal Addiction

It should come as no surprise that eating disorders are a type of addiction the same as addictions to shopping, drugs, alcohol, or sex. This may seem hard to believe, but once a person becomes obsessed with weight loss or achieving a certain appearance, the drive to continue the behaviors to meet their goals becomes compulsive.

Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) often correlates to eating disorders. BDD is categorized in the DSM-5 as part of the obsessive-compulsive spectrum, as distinguished from anorexia nervosa. According to Wikipedia, BDD is a mental disorder that manifests a fixation on some aspect of one’s appearance, seeing it as severely flawed and warranting extreme the use of extreme means to hide or change it.

The Need for Support

People who are suffering from an eating disorder often need a group of supporters to help them down the road to health. This will be a team of professionals, including a counselor, dietician, psychiatrist, and support counselors for meals where a treatment facility is required.

Treatment centers often require an inpatient stay for an eating disorder patient. This stay can last anywhere from 1 to 12 months; the length will depend on the intake evaluation. Patients are frequently referred to a center by a counselor or family member.

Outpatient treatment is another option. It is composed of one-on-one counseling, appointments with a dietician and psychiatrist, group counseling, and meals, all of which occur at a treatment facility, but without staying overnight.

Activities That Can Help Deal with an Eating Disorder

There are a number of activities that would help someone struggling with an eating disorder. How can family members help their loved one who is going through this?

Not only have I spent nearly a year working in an eating disorder clinic and treating clients in my private practice at the same time, but a number of individuals in my family struggle with eating disorders.  I, myself suffered from anorexia for several years, so I am very familiar with the difficulties underlying this disorder.

I can recommend several practices I observed while working at the clinic. I can vouch for these practices from personal experience as well.

1. One-on-one counseling with a professional Christian counselor to address issues related to food, body image, family, and life before the disorder.
2. Prayer, yoga, and meditation to help bring about a peaceful mental state.
3. Exercise in a healthy context (an appropriate amount is 3 days a week for 30 minutes each session). Exceeding this limit can result in compulsive exercising for someone already suffering from an eating disorder.
4. Structured meals with support counselors present to help the individual learn what it means to eat normal, healthy, balanced portions.
5. Sessions with a dietician to discover nutritional needs and appropriate food intake.
6. Consultations with a psychiatrist to see if medication is needed for other mental conditions, such as anxiety, depression, etc.
7. Creative activities like reading, journaling, crafting, listening to or creating music, etc.
8. Administering help to others, which is a way to reduce self-focus and increase our own sense of gratitude.

The Word and Prayer for those with Eating Disorders

We can’t neglect to mention the importance of prayer and spending time in God’s word, which are vital tools in the process of recovering from an eating disorder. Spending time with the Lord can improve our attitude, soothe our loneliness, and remind us of His presence in our troubles.

Even if we can’t sense His nearness, or even feel abandoned by Him, God is always with us as His children. If you are struggling with an eating disorder, know that as His child, you are beautiful to Him, even when your life is a mess. He still loves you despite your struggles.

Being weak humans, it’s all too easy for us to wander from God and forget His great love for us, especially considering the constant attacks on both mind and soul from the world, the flesh, and the devil.

The following Scriptures can be applied to recovery from an eating disorder. I hope you’re encouraged in knowing that God can bring you peace and be with you when you feel alone.

My darling, everything about you is beautiful, and there is nothing at all wrong with you. – Song of Solomon 4:7

 

Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord will be praised. – Proverbs 31:30

 

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. – Romans 14:17

 

Don’t you know that your body is a temple that belongs to the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit, whom you received from God, lives in you. You don’t belong to yourselves. You were bought for a price. So bring glory to God in the way you use your body. – 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

 

The Lord is near all who call out to Him, all who call out to Him with integrity. – Psalm 145:18

 

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayers and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:6-7

 

Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken. – Psalm 55:22

 

The only temptations that you have are the same temptations that all people have. But you can trust God. He will not let you be tempted more than you can bear. But when you are tempted, God will also give you a way to escape that temptation. Then you will be able to endure it. – 1 Corinthians 10:13

Christian Counseling for Eating Disorders

Over the years I have treated a lot of individuals and groups of people suffering from eating disorders, and I always enjoy working with them because I can relate to and understand their inner struggles and turmoil. I hope that what I’ve shared here can help provide you with hope, peace, and the knowledge that help is available to you.