Eating disorders are very common today and the media showing more and more reports about disorders like bulimia or anorexia nervosa. It is today's society that seems to promote the ideals of a slim body more than ever before. Celebrities like super models, movie stars and the stars of the music industry appear the get thinner every year. What are the facts and statistics of anorexia nervosa, the most dangerous of all disorders? Nobody knows that anorexia has a mortality rate higher than most cancers. Truly anorexic people have a 10 percent chance to die within the next 10 years and a 20 percent chance to die within the next 20 years. It is a matter of fact that millions are suffering from various kinds of eating disorders. This does not count in millions of people who do not have an eating disorder as defined by the science currently but have really unhealthy eating habits which also lead to illness or even death. It is assumed that up to 5 percent of all women suffer from a type of anorexia. The tragedy is that most of these women are very young, in the age between 15 and 25. Is it because younger people are easy victims of the mass media who intentionally or unintentionally promote the ideals of a super slim body today? It is possible that self esteem can suffer when you are not looking like your ideals. Many will obsessively try to be like the stars, including following any bad advice that promises the desired results. Studies have revealed that more than two third of all young girls and teenagers start to watch their own weight between the age of nine and twelve already. Not much later they are trying out various forms of diets to get thinner or hold their weight. There is no doubt about the fact that young women are under a big social pressure today. The studies also show that eating disorders do not come suddenly but are often developed over time when the individual is still very young. Almost half of all patients say that the problems have started between the age of fifteen and twenty. One third became anorexic between eleven and sixteen already. And there are still 10 percent who became anorexic at an even younger age. The statistics also say that many eating disorders are not treated because the victim is denying the illness and is very creative in camouflaging the symptoms. It is trendy to be thin but it is not trendy to have an eating disorder. When an eating disorder like anorexia nervosa is treated properly then the mortality rate can be reduced dramatically. The first step is to discover the eating disorder early enough and to start treatment immediately. An important role play close friends and the family who always should speak up immediately when they have the feeling that someone is suffering from an disorder. Since an eating disorder is not really about food or nutrition but about a mental disorder, treatment can take months and could get very expensive. Today, however, there is no other solution than a mental therapy known in order to treat anorexia nervosa successfully.
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