Bulimia is a disorder afflicting millions of school-age children in the United States, especially teens. The scientific name for the disorder is bulimia nervosa – meaning a disease of hunger affecting the nervous system.
Bulimia involves binge consumption of food that is compensated for by dangerous, unhealthy dietary habits, the most common of which is vomiting. Teens with bulimia will eat large and excessive amounts of food, but to make sure they stay thin, they will vomit, fast, use laxatives, or exercise vigorously to force all the food they consumed out of their system.
A teen with bulimia is usually not overweight; they are just extremely obsessed with being thin. Due to emotional, psychological, or other problems, they will feel the need to be as thin as possible.
For some teen bulimia sufferers, purging is not planned; it just happens. After binge eating to make themselves feel better, out of disgust, bulimic teens will feel the need to reverse what they have done. After doing it once, it grows into a habit. The bodily effects of long-term teen bulimia can range from dental problems to stomach ulcers too, in extreme cases, death.
Indeed, teen bulimia is dangerous. Rather than reduced to a passing phase, teen bulimia needs to be addressed. As a progressive disease that severely affects the health of a young person, teen bulimia can lead to chronic health conditions. Both parents and teens need to recognize the dangers of teen bulimia. The statistics outlined below will help.
Teen Bulimia Statistics
Some teens mistakenly believe that bulimia is not a serious issue. Without knowing the truth, they will continue being bulimic for months or year, destroying their health in the process. Parents of teens should make sure that their children are fully aware of the facts about bulimia, especially about the potential dangers it entails. To that end, statistics can be a very useful tool. Teen bulimia statistics are evidence of just how serious of a problem bulimia is in our society.
Consider some of the most vital bulimia statistics listed below:
- Bulimia is the second most common eating disorder among teens
- Between 1 and 3 percent of teens suffer from bulimia each year in the United States
- Most bulimics develop the disorder during their teenage years
- Teen bulimia tends to go on for long periods of time without anyone knowing about it
- Children can begin to suffer from bulimia as young as 5 years old
- A teen who suffers from bulimia usually eats more than two times what their peers eat in a meal
- Any teen can suffer from bulimia, although it mostly affects females
- Teens may experienced both bulimia and anorexia. In fact, half of the teens suffering from anorexia also have bulimia
- On average, 5 to 15 percent of bulimics are male
If you know a teen that suffers from bulimia, make sure that their problem does not persist without being taken care of. With treatment or counseling, teens can recover from bulimia and return to living healthy lives. Refer teens that suffer from bulimia to a doctor, eating disorder specialist, or counselor for help. Please call us today to find out more about our programs.