Free, Nationwide Screenings Offer Hope
For People with Eating Disorders
(Alexandria, VA) Every year millions of Americans are affected by eating disorders, which can be both serious and life-threatening. Over 90 percent of people afflicted with eating disorders are adolescent girls and young women.
In an effort to increase understanding and treatment, the National Mental Health Association (NMHA) and the National Mental Illness Screening Project are sponsoring a National Eating Disorders Screening Program February 23 - 28, 1998, Eating Disorders Awareness Week. Individuals may call NMHA at (800) 969-NMHA to locate a screening site near them.
Free and anonymous, the screenings include educational materials, a test for individual attitudes about food and weight, and a one-on-one with a health professional. Screenings will be conducted by 1,200 clinicians at hospitals, schools, and community sites across the country. Individuals deemed at risk will be referred for evaluation and treatment.
"For many, the Screening Program will break the dangerous cycle that affects people with eating disorders. No one should suffer needlessly with the pain, fear, and shame associated with eating disorders when help is available," said NMHA President Mike Faenza. "Eating disorders, like all mental illnesses, are real, common and treatable. Our screenings provide a message of hope."
Eating disorders may develop as a way to handle stress and anxieties. Most people with eating disorders share certain personality traits: low self-esteem, feelings of helplessness, and a fear of becoming fat. Eating disorders appear to run in families, and may have biological, psychological and social underpinnings. Treatments may include psychotherapy and/or medications.
Eating disorders include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder. Approximately one percent of adolescent girls -- often those who are perfectionists and obedient -- develop anorexia nervosa. People with this disorder are terrified of gaining weight, and often look emaciated due to the fact that their body weight is at least 15 percent lower than their healthy weight. One in ten girls with anorexia nervosa die from starvation, cardiac arrest, suicide, or other medical complications caused by the disorder.
Bulimia nervosa is a destructive pattern of excessive overeating followed by vomiting, abuse of laxatives or diuretics, use of enemas, or obsessive exercising in order to control body weight. Feelings of guilt and depression ensue, which purging only temporarily alleviate. Two to three percent of young women develop bulimia nervosa and it can cause severe damage to the body. Both anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa occur in men and older women, but it is seen most often in adolescent girls and young women.
Binge eating disorder is characterized by episodes of excessive eating without purging. People with the disorder lose control of themselves when eating and do not stop until they are uncomfortably full. Most are obese and have a history of weight fluctuations. The disorder affects about 2 percent of the population, afflicting women much more than men. About 30 percent of people in medically supervised weight control programs have binge eating disorder. Those with it are prone to serious medical problems associated with obesity, such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes. They also have a higher risk of heart disease, gallbladder disease, and some types of cancer.
To find a screening in your area call the National Mental Health Association at (800) 969-NMHA, or visit the NEDSP on-line site locator through America On-Line (AOL) using the keyword "online psych." Individuals may request free information on eating disorders (and other mental illnesses) from NMHA by calling (800) 969-NMHA. Reporters seeking more information may call Patrick Cody at NMHA: (703) 838-7528.
RSS