Lady Gaga recently shared a photo of herself clad in a yellow lingerie bikini and disclosed an eleven year battle with body dysmorphia, bulimia, and anorexia. http://littlemonsters.com/image/5061bde86d1be6f92e0014f2 I appreciate her willingness to share something so personal. Hopefully it will raise awareness, help fellow suffers feel less alone, and clarify that an eating disorder is not a diet plan but a road paved with suffering. According to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, the following are some sobering facts:
- 95% of all dieters will regain their lost weight within 5 years.3
- 35% of “normal dieters” progress to pathological dieting. Of those, 20-25% progress to partial or full-syndrome eating disorders.5
- The body type portrayed in advertising as the ideal is possessed naturally by only 5% of American females.3
- 42% of 1st-3rd grade girls want to be thinner (Collins, 1991).
- 81% of 10 year olds are afraid of being fat (Mellin et al., 1991).
- Up to 24 million people of all ages and genders suffer from an eating disorder (anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorder) in the U.S.
- Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness.
If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder, please know this is not a journey one has to traverse alone. I have worked with eating struggles for years and if you call 303.915-5597, we can discuss an action plan to get you on the road to recovery. There is also a list of resources on the website for those who feel like food is an enemy.