Some Statistics

It is hard to estimate the extent of the incidence of eating disorders, partly because any epidemiological investigation will be hampered by the reluctance of some of those affected to admit to the problem. However, a typical general practitioner list of 2000 patients could expect to have one or two anorexics and eighteen patients with bulimia, many of whom (but by no means all) will be adolescent females. (Hoek 1991)

The best estimates suggest that about one young woman in a hundred has bulimia nervosa and probably somewhat fewer have anorexia nervosa. In this country there are tens of thousands of people whose lives revolve painfully around the issues of weight, eating and their control. (Palmer 1996)

In 1992 the Royal College of Psychiatrists estimated that about 60,000 people may be receiving treatment for anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa at any one time in the UK However beat currently believes the number receiving treatment to be much nearer to 90,000, with many more people whose eating disorders have not
been diagnosed, in particular those with bulimia nervosa. ( beat 2000)

It is not only young women who suffer from eating disorders; men and women of all ages are affected. Estimates of the numbers of men in the eating disordered population varies with the criteria adopted and is thought to vary between 1:6 and 1:201. The most commonly used proxy is 10% of all cases of eating disorders will be male. ( beat 2000)

Using the prevalence figures quoted above the combined total for people diagnosed and undiagnosed with an eating disorder in the UK is an astounding 1.15million.

General Practice Research Database

A joint study by the Institute of Psychiatry in London and Boston University, USA, covering a period from 1988 to 1994, using the General Practice Research Database (GPRD), revealed a threefold increase in the recording of bulimia cases.

Incidence rates for detection of cases by GPs in 1993 was 12.2 per 100,000 population for bulimia nervosa, and 4.2 per 100,000 for anorexia nervosa. The relative risks of females to males was 47:1 for bulimia and 40:1 for anorexia.

The study shows that those most at risk of developing anorexia are between 10-19 years of age, with GPs detecting a rate of 34.1 per 100,000 in this age group. Bulimia was mainly found to affect women aged between 20-39 years, where GPs identified 56.7 cases per 100,000. The rate for those with bulimia in the 10-19 age group is also high, at 41 per 100,000. (Turnbull et al 1996)

Clinical problems and Mortality rate

In addition to a range of health complications (such as heart, kidney, gastro-intestinal and fertility problems), anorexia nervosa presents itself as having one of the highest rates of mortality for any psychiatric condition, estimated to run at around 13-20 per cent per annum. (Howlett et al. 1995)

Osteoporosis (thinning bones), is a major problem. Women who have had anorexia are at risk of developing fractures spontaneously or following minor amounts of trauma. One of the first complications of anorexia nervosa is a loss of periods. Treatment of the malnutrition usually reverses this problem but difficulties can remain. (Treasure 1997)

Historical Background

Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa have existed for a very long time. A disorder apparently like Anorexia Nervosa was first written about by Physician and Minister John Reynolds in 1669 and Philosopher Thomas Hobbes in 1688.
An accurate description of the disorder was written by Richard Morton in his Treatise on Consumption in 1694 describing a case seen in 1684. Recognition of the disorder as a clinical condition dates from work completed separately in London and Paris in 1873.
Bulimia Nervosa was not recognised as a clinical condition until Gerald Russell's paper published in the UK in 1979.

Influence of the media

In 1998 the Bread for Life Campaign surveyed just over 900 Young Women aged between 18 and 24 and published their findings as their ‘Pressure to be Perfect’ report.

The report included the following statistics:-

• Only 25% of young women were happy with their weight 20% of young women diet either all or most of the time
• 55% think men rate looks as the most attractive thing in a woman: only 1% said intelligence
• 22% of young women admit to staying at home because they didn’t think they looked good
• 61% feel inadequate compared to the media’s image of beautiful women
• 91% felt it was bad that the media always portray so-called perfect women
• 89% wanted more average sized models used in magazines
• 63% wanted fewer dieting features