by Dr. Margaret Aranda
Everyone
knows that American girls have eating disorders. It’s no wonder that the models
and movie starts wear size 0 pants, sporting their figures as if that is the
goal of American girls: to be skinny and skinnier. To be skinny, American girls
are either seeing themselves fat in comparison to a starving, bloated abdomen
girl in Africa (i.e., anorexia), or they are putting their fingers down their
throat to vomit the food they just ate (i.e., bulimia). Genes or hormones may
play a role, and whereas once it was thought that family conflicts played a
causative role, they are no longer thought to contribute to eating disorders.
On September 25, 2012, Lady Gaga shared her stories of both bulimia and anorexia, which can be seen here: Click Here. She shares photos of her body. And over a weekend in September 2012, she walked the city streets of Paris in a huge hot-pink and blue dress, and she tweeted to her fans: "And thank(s) to my fans who love me no matter what, and know the meaning of real beauty & compassion, I really love you."
We
have to talk about this, because it affects us, our daughters, and our
daughter’s friends.
Karen
Carpenter died of anorexia, making headlines and bringing the disease into the
forefront of medical issues for women. Other celebrity sufferers of eating
disorders include: Paula Abdul, Nadia Comaneci, Susan Dey, Jane Fonda, Princess
Di, Lynn Redgrave, Joan Riers, and Elton John.
The
prevalence of eating disorders in America is staggering:
* 8 million Americans have an eating disorder;
* 7 million women and 1 million men have an eating
disorder;
* Bulimia affects 2-3 in 100 American women;
* About ½ of all Americans know someone with an
eating disorder;
* Of all mental illnesses, eating disorders have
the highest mortality rate;
* 10 – 15% of Americans with anorexia or bulimia
are males.
.
Let’s
talk about the Mortality associated with eating disorders:
* Anorexia nervosa can lead to death in 10% of
cases;
* 1 in 5 Americans has a mental disorder;
* 5 – 10 % of anorexics die within 10 years;
* 18 – 20% of anorexics will be dead after 20
years;
* Only 30 – 40 % of anorexics will fully recover.
Why
the staggering statistics? Part of the reason is that our girls are not getting
treatment for eating disorders.
* Only 1 of 10 people with an eating disorder gets
treatment;
* About 80% of the girls and women who do get
accepted into programs are failing to get the needed intensity of treatment.
They just leave early;
* The cost of treatment in America is about
$30,000 per month, with 3-6 months of inpatient care needed for definitive
treatment. Health insurance companies do not usually cover the cost;
* As an outpatient, costs can be upwards of
$100,000 or more.
Among
adolescents, anorexia is the 3rd most common chronic illness, with
95% of girls with eating disorders being from 12 and 25 years of age. 50% of
girls age 11 – 13 think they are overweight, and 80% of 13-year old girls have
been on diets to lose weight. Who are they losing weight for? How can a 12-year
old suffer from anorexia?
Anorexia
is a self-imposed starvation. It is serious, life-threatening, and the
underlying cause is usually emotional. People try to control what they can when
everything seems out of control, and eating seems to be one of the things that teens
think they can control.
Risk
factors for anorexia include having a negative self-image, having in anxiety
disorder as a child, having eating problems during early childhood, and trying
to be perfect or live up to unrealistic expectations when a father wants his
daughter to be a surgeon, and she wants to be a singer. The thing we can do is to look for warning signs: she leaves after eating dinner to go to the bathroom, she hardly eats at all, and she observes others that are too skinny, envious of their bodies. Helplines and hotlines exist. Let's see what we can do to make this problem better.
Marilyn Monroe said, "To all the girls that think you're ugly because you're not a size 0, you're the beautiful one. It's society that's ugly." Quote on Goodreads
Medical Disclaimer: Contact 911 if you have a medical emergency. Not responsible for errors in numbers, non-working numbers, or numbers that have changed since the time of this writing. Apologies but we are just doing our best to help.
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HELPFUL RESOURCES FOR TEENS, WOMEN, and THE ELDERLY
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Alternatives to Domestic Violence
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Crisis ✔Line: 951-683-0829
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America’s Pregnancy Hotline
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American Diabetes Association
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Americans with Disabilities Act
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American Sexual Health Assoc.
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Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders National Association
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Center for Assistive Technology
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Australian Government GP Helpline
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Battered Women’s Justice Project
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Bureau of Indian Affairs Indian Country Child Abuse Hotline
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California HIV Information
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California Smoker’s Helpline
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Campaign for our Children
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Child Welfare Information Gateway
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Prevention (CDC) Colorectal cancer statistics.
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CDC National AIDS/Sexually Transmitted Disease Hotline
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CDC National Prevention Information Network
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CDC and Prevention, Smoking & Tobacco Use
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CDC and Prevention, Stroke
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CDC and Prevention: Traumatic Brain Injury.
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National Child Abuse Hotline and Referral Service
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Cocaine and Crack Helpline
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CTIS Pregnancy Risk Information
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Cost of Assisted Living, ALFA
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Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance
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Domestic Violence Hotline
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Eastern Virginia Pregnancy Hotline
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Eating Disorders Association, National
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Emergency Contraceptive Pill
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Domestic Violence Hotline
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Family Caregiver Alliance.
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Family Care Navigator: CCAL
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Federal Trade Commission Identity Theft Hotline
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Fertility: Dr. Stanley West
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212-206-1435
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Funding for Elder Falls Prevention
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Geriatrics and Extended Care
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Hormone Replacement Therapy
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Hot Flashes with Cold Front
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Human Trafficking Hotline, National
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Hysterectomy Complications
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Juvenile Diabetes Foundation
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KARA for grieving death or illness
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Lavender Youth Recreation and Information Center, LYRIC
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800-246-PRIDE or 800-246-7743
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Brain Injury Association of America
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Mommies Enduring Neonatal Death
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Mothers Against Drunk Driving
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National Alliance on Mental Illness
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National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
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National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug
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National Council on Aging (NCOA).
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National Council on Aging (NCOA).
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National Council on Alcoholism
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National Crime Prevention Council
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National Crime Victim Institute
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National Domestic Violence Hotline
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800-227-8922 or 800-342-2437
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National Hotline for Missing and Exploited Children
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National HPV and Cervical Cancer Hotline
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National Human Trafficking Hotline
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National Institute on Aging
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National Resource Center on Domestic Violence
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Nebraska Aids Project, NE
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New Jersey Domestic Violence Hotline
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North American Menopause Society
Nursing Home Solutions
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Mental Health Access Center
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Company Nurse Injury Hotline
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National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
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National Runaway Switchboard
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National Sexual Assault Hotline
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Osteopenia and Osteoporosis
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Parkinson Educational Program
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Poison Control, American Association
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Office of the Inspector General, VA
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Parent Helpline, National
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Planned Parenthood for Teens
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Rape, Abuse, Incest National Network
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Runaway Switchboard, National
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Sanctuary Crisis Line, CA
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SafeHorizon for Domestic Violence
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SAMHSA Bilingual Treatment Referral Line en Espanol
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SAMHSA Disaster Distress Helpline
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Substance Abuse Treatment Locator
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Student Emergency Care Hotline
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Teen Dating Abuse Helpline
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Teenage Health Resources Line
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Virginia HIV, STD, and Viral Hepatitis Hotline
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Wisconsin Handgun Hotline
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Women, Infants and Children
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California: 1-888-942-9675
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800-994-9662 (TDD: 888-220-5446)
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Women’s Sports Foundation, NY
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California Youth Crisis Hotline
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