national eating disorder awareness week

So if you hadn't heard this is national eating disorder awareness week and I wanted to take some time write about my thoughts and experiences with that subject.

first of all I don't think most people realize that eating disorders have the highest fatality rate of all mental illness. It's a really big deal.  

·       It is estimated that 8 million Americans have an eating disorder – seven million women and one million men

·       One in 200 American women suffers from anorexia

·       Two to three in 100 American women suffers from bulimia

·       Nearly half of all Americans personally know someone with an eating disorder (Note: One in five Americans suffers from mental illnesses.)

·       An estimated 10 – 15% of people with anorexia or bulimia are males

I often hear a lot of people who are unsympathetic to people with eating disorders because it seems really simple to just eat, but the condition has so many mental hang ups and compulsions that it should be treated like any other mental illness, no one would say "why dont you just stop being compulsive" to someone with OCD. The prpoblem with getting help is that very few insurance comanpies treat eating disorders as a disease and people living with the disorders have a hard time getting the amount of help they need.  

• Only 1 in 10 people with eating disorders receive treatment
• Treatment of an eating disorder in the US 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 typically cover the cost of treating eating disorders
• 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

(http://www.state.sc.us/dmh/anorexia/statistics.htm)

Let that sink in for a minute.

·       80% of 13-year-olds have attempted to lose weight

with such staggering numbers we have to look at why 13 year old girls would feel the need to lose weight?