Emotional Eating

Facts About Bulimia – Risks and Statistics

January 28, 2010
By Jay Cormack

Beyond the statistics, facts about bulimia are difficult to locate and isolate specifically. Unlike cancer or diabetes, there are few physical markers of bulimia. It is very much a disease of the mind, caused by perceptions and insecurities. Facts about bulimia are more general, and many facts about bulimia are disputed or a matter of opinion. Nevertheless, there are some facts about bulimia that all experts can agree on.

Eating Disorders are Everywhere

Almost eight in every hundred women will suffer from bulimia at some time in their life. Bulimia is a real and pressing medical problem in almost every country of the world, but especially in countries where the media is an omnipresent force. People who suffer from bulimia have reason to deny their condition, and to hide it from others, so the actual number of bulimic men and women worldwide may be even higher than estimated.

Some People are More at Risk

People from all walks of life develop bulimia nervosa, but some people are more at risk than others. High risk individuals work in a field or industry that values beauty and thinness. Dancers, models, and actors have a higher than average risk of developing bulimia. The facts about bulimia are clear in this respect because of statistical evidence.

The Media is a Factor

Bulimia is a disease that develops from issues surrounding body image, and the media has always been a major player in promoting unreasonable or irrational beauty standards. After all, massive industries depend on consumer insecurities to make the money that they do. People who surround themselves with media are at a higher risk of developing bulimia than those who isolate themselves from it.

A survey was done of 15-18 year old girls in Nadroga, Fiji, by the British Journal of Psychiatry when television was introduced to their isolated communities in 1995. By 1998, three years later, the rate of bulimia had risen from 0.0% to 11.3%. The facts about bulimia and the media are crystal clear in this context. The media has power.

Recovery is Possible

Despite discouraging evidence to the contrary, thousands of people have walked the rough road to recovery from bulimia. People do survive this condition and go on to lead fulfilling lives that are NOT governed by food. The success stories are proof that not all facts about bulimia are negative, and that real recoveries do happen.

Jay Cormack writes on the dangers of eating disorders and the techniques that bulimia and anorexia sufferers use to build paths to permanent recovery.

More information on treatments for anorexia and bulimia is available at http://www.treatmentsforanorexia.blogspot.com

Share and Enjoy: