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With some questionable health advice being posted by your friends on Facebook, politicians arguing about the state of the American healthcare system and a new medical study being summarized in just a sentence or two on TV---that seems to contradict the study you heard summarized yesterday---it can be overwhelming to navigate the ever-changing landscape of health news.

Eating Disorders

What is the most fatal mental disorder? The answer, which may surprise you, is anorexia nervosa. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, it has an estimated mortality rate of around 10 percent.

This is National Eating Disorders Awareness Week. The National Eating Disorders Association states that the three most common types of eating disorders are:

Anorexia Nervosa, in which there is inadequate food intake, intense fear of weight gain, obsession with weight and persistent behavior to prevent weight gain;

Bulimia Nervosa, in which there are frequent episodes of consuming very large amounts of food followed by behaviors to prevent weight gain, such as self-induced vomiting;

Binge Eating Disorder, in which a person feels out of control while eating, but does NOT engage in the behaviors to prevent weight gain.

These are serious, potentially life-threatening conditions that affect both a person’s emotional and physical health. In the United States alone, 30 million people will be impacted by an eating disorder at some point in their lifetime. These conditions affect all kinds of people and don’t discriminate by race, age, sex, or size.

More than 2/3 of youth with an eating disorder have not received treatment. Eating disorders are often dismissed as dieting, athletic training, a phase or an attention-seeking behavior. Many people with eating disorders have no idea that the behaviors they are engaging in have crossed into unhealthy territory and they need to get help. 

The National Eating Disorders Association has free screenings online, as well as a help line that can be accessed by phone, e-mail or internet chat. 

Websites:
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/about/director/2012/spotlight-on-eating-disorders.shtml
http://nedawareness.org/get-help/helpline
 

Dr. Brooke Hildebrand Clubbs is an assistant professor in the Department of Leadership, Middle & Secondary Education. She writes for special publications of The Southeast Missourian and is a certified Community Health Worker.
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