"If shop mannequins were real women, they'd be too thin to menstruate."
Eating disorders have among the highest mortality rates of all mental disorders, killing up to 6 percent of their victims. Each year millions of people across the world are affected by serious and sometimes life-threatening eating disorders. The vast majority - more than 90% - of those afflicted with eating disorders are adolescent and young adult women.
Despite the fact that many people think of an eating disorder as being an unhealthy quest for a perfect body, eating disorders are not about vanity and not really about weight. Eating disorders are complex, psychological illnesses where people try to control conflict and stress in their lives by controlling food. The food, weight, and body image issues are identifiable symptoms of deep-rooted, often difficult-to-identify problems.
Approximately 1% of adolescent girls develop anorexia nervosa, a dangerous condition in which they can literally starve themselves to death. Another 3% of young women develop bulimia nervosa, a destructive pattern of excessive overeating followed by vomiting or other "purging" behaviors, such as starving or laxatives, to control their weight.
This page is dedicated to all who are caught in the struggle of an eating disorder. As a sufferer myself, I know how hard it is to find accurate and relevant information on this topic. This page aims to provide both information and support to sufferers and their supporters.
Lots of Love,
Dipsy.
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