Obsession: Anxiety in Eating Disorders

Contrary to popular belief, the mental disorder with the highest mortality rate is not schizophrenia or even depression, but eating disorders About 90 % of those who develop the top three eating disorders- anorexia, bulimia, and a combination of the two (ED-NOS) -are girls and young women in their teens and twenties, most displaying symptoms during adolescence. It is said that the stress of transitioning from childhood to adulthood can cause the onset of such a disease. If there were some miracle method to determine which of us are likely to develop an eating disorder, it would be possible to prevent the staggering number of deaths related to eating disorders because, shockingly, up to 20% of those suffering from an eating disorder will suffer until it takes their lives.

A common symptom of bulimia nervosa is the compulsion to purge after eating, and child psychiatrists say that a staggering 13X of high school girl spurge. The occurrence of eating disordered behavior has doubled since the 60s and are hurting younger and younger groups of girls Childhood anxiety is believed to be an important factor in the probability of a young person developing an eating disorder. Researchers claim to have discovered a strong link between eating disorders and anxiety which suggests that treatment of the eating disorder along with the underlying anxiety could increase the rate of recovery from eating disorders If this is true, treating anxiety at a young age could possibly prevent the onset of an eating disorder later in life. Two thirds of those struggling with an eating disorder have, in the past, suffered some form of anxiety, like obsessive compulsive disorder, the symptoms of which displayed themselves years before the eating disorder itself.

While only 13% to 30 of healthy women experience anxiety, an unbelievable 6 6% of those suffering from eating disorders experience anxiety, and among many eating disordered patients, the anxiety is not only present throughout the term of the eating disorder, but persists even after the women have recovered from their eating disorders. Even those women undergoing eating disorder treatment who are not diagnosed with any anxiety disorders display anxiety traits, the most obvious of which is perfectionism.

Anxiety in children is something that should not be ignored, as it can lead to much more serious and life threatening problems. Anxiety has been known to be a precursor to depression, but it is suspected to be a risk factor for the development of eating disorders The idea that the risk of eating disorder onset can possibly be prevented by the combat of anxiety early in life through cognitive behavior therapy is only a small comfort considering the mortality rate among those suffering with an eating disorder.