Bulimia Nervosa

bulimia nervosa- an eating disorder characterized by restraining of food intake for a period of time followed by an over intake or binging period, which results in feelings of guilt and low self-esteem. This is followed by periods of purging, which is often accomplished by vomiting or ingestion of laxatives.

So is it really that big of a deal? Decide for yourself. Here are a few facts:

1-3% of adolescents are affected by bulimia in the United States. Now, there's about 307,006,550 in America. That means that about 3,070,065 - 9,210,196 people have bulimia.

Bulimia is more common in women than men. While only 5-15% of people with bulimia are male, studies show that this rate is starting to increase.

Men and women who suffer from bulimia share the same characteristics: need for acceptance, inability to cope with family/relationship/emotion issues, and low self-esteem.

Men with bulimia usually belong to a specific subgroup, such as wrestlers and homosexuals, both of whom have an increased rate of bulimia.

In regards to ethnicity, bulimia most commonly affects Caucasian girls, specifically of the middle and upper socioeconomic classes. Still, this does not exclude men and women of all cultures and ethnicities.

While bulimia is most common in prepubertal girls, concerns of body image are starting to have an impact on girls as young as nine. In fact, a recent study shows that 70% of sixth-grade girls said they were first concerned about their weight around this age. Bulimia is also not uncommon among the elderly.

I didn't actually know much about bulimia until I came to college. I've only ever known one person who has/had bulimia, and for her it's a recurring problem. She suffered with it a long time ago, but it still affects her, both in eating habits and the temptation to purge her body after every meal. It's a terrible problem to have, and I think it's important to take active measures in preventing and curing it. I think that, with the current mindset of "the perfect body" prevailing modern culture, rates of bulimia-and other eating disorders-will only increase.

For more information, go to:

http://bulimia.emedtv.com/bulimia/bulimia-statistics.html