Eating Disorder Scouting Report:
There are three main types of eating disorders: anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating.
- Anorexia is simply defined as self-induced starvation. Symptoms may include excessive weight loss, restricting food intake, over obsessive food thoughts, and extreme concern with body image. Some physical complications include heart and kidney damage, bone density problems, dehydration and fatigue, malnutrition, low body temperature, stomach pain, depression and mood swings, and death.
- Bulimia is the cycle of overeating binges followed by self-induced vomiting or the misuse of laxatives or diuretics to rid the body of food intake. This is probably the most dangerous of the three, because it is so hard to detect. A person suffering from bulimia may not even seem underweight. Physical complications include esophagus damage, stomach injuries, electrolyte imbalance, lung complications, teeth problems, cold sensitivity, dehydration, depression, and death.
- Binge eating is a condition in which a person frequently eats more than most would consume in a similar period of time. They have no control of over the impulse to overeat. Warning signs for this disorder consist of rapid food intake, eating to the point discomfort, eating while not hungry, and the inability to eat in front of others. Physical complications include joint problems, type II diabetes, hypertension, depression, and cardiac instability. Psychological problems for eating disorders may include but are not limited to: depression and suicide, loss of control, feeling of guilt and shame, extreme fear of discovery, compulsive behaviors, anxiety, anger, and a sense of hopelessness.
Warning signs for ED
- A single traumatic event
- A two to three year period of intense pain or stress
- An extended period of emotional pain
- The onset of a mood disorder
- Having been a very sensitive child
- A controlling environment
- Lack of validation of feelings (expression)
Stats for ED
- There is no one specific cause but it is more-or-less caused by a complex combination of genetic, social, and psychological factors. The illness usually attacks the “perfectionist,” a person who is very intelligent, sensitive, or searching for accomplishment or recognition. They are usually very well mannered and willing to please others and have a fear of sudden loss or change.
- Eating disorders are not just about food; they are about feelings and emotions.
- Eating disorders do not discriminate. Men can and do suffer from this illness whether they admit to it or not. They can and do affect all ethnicities, both men and women, young and old, rich and poor.
- More than eight million Americans suffer from eating disorder illnesses, seven million are women and one million are men.
- Nearly half of all Americans personally know someone with an eating disorder.
- The reality is that eating disorders have the highest mortality rate among all mental illnesses.
- 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.
- 20% of people suffering from anorexia will prematurely die from complications related to their eating disorder, including suicide and heart problems.
- Only 1 in 10 people with eating disorders receive treatment.
- Treatment of an eating disorder in the U.S. 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 consider ED a medical issue.
-