American teens seem to be greatly suffering from the growing problems of Bulimia and Anorexia, warn health experts. They say that since other ill health conditions have more prevalence in the eyes and minds of people, as compared to eating disorders, the severity of the latter ones is masked.
The Archives of General Psychiatry have a recently online published study, which reports that over 3 % of teenagers are known to experience one or the other eating disorder in their life, at least for one time. Anorexia Nervosa is speculated in about 0.3 % of them, and around 1 % teens are affected with Bulimia Nervosa. But, by far, the most common eating disorder, with over 1.5 % of teenagers and adolescents engulfed (between ages 13 and 18), is none other than binge- eating.
The thing which is bothering researchers and health officials the most is the range of mental issues related to the eating disorders – like depression, anxiety and suicidal tendencies – slaving over 50 % of the affected teens.
The National Institute of Mental Health had recently covered a study which had caught up interviews with 10,000 teenagers from U.S. and the consultations were supervised by the National Comorbidity Survey Replication Adolescent Supplement.
The study had found out that the number of boys and girls, who suffer from incidents of bulimia and anorexia, or a compulsive terror of weight gain, and related mental conditions, was almost equal. But, another finding proved that as compared to boys, the likelihood of girls to develop eating disorders like binge-eating, anorexia and bulimia was greater. These disorders among girls were characterized by initial fasting followed by binge-eating, and ending up in purging.
According to researchers, one of the key factors that introduces eating disorders among teenagers is social impairment. Even suicidal attempts and depression among adults and teenagers have been traced to eating disorders.
