Eating disorders are most common among teenagers and young adults. But the medical community is seeing more older adult women who are struggling with disordered eating and poor body image.

Moifa Thomas of Sun-Times Media reported on the phenomenon in a March 2 article:

Lynn Grefe, chief executive officer of the National Eating Disorders Association, said the group hasn't done formal research on the trend, but, "anecdotally, we are hearing more and more cases of women over 30" seeking treatment.

Nationally, one-fourth of hospital stays involving eating disorders in 2005-06 were for people 30 to 45 years old, according to the National Eating Disorders Association. Fifteen percent of hospitalizations involved 45- to 64-year-olds.

Labels: women, trends, adults

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A Dec. 3 post by Jennifer Austin of EmpowHER.com discusses the under-reported but very real existence of eating disorders among older women:

In a recent study in the International Journal of Eating Disorders, researchers confirmed that the very same eating disorders that affect young teens and waify supermodels also exist well into adulthood.

The difference between the generation gap is that older women appear to present with significantly higher rates of depression and other psychiatric disorders. &

Anorexia surrounding menopause can be particularly troublesome. Estrogen, already lowered by the menopause itself, takes an even greater dive when fat cells (suppliers of estrogen) disappear. This double whammy puts women at greater risk for osteoporosis and bone fractures among other issues.

Labels: anorexia, women, adults, eating disorders, osteoporosis

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Kelly was 30 years old and her life was consumed by her eating disorder, which had started 15 years earlier. Eating disorders are becoming more common among women 30 and older, and many of them have had the disorder since they were teenagers.

"When Kelly started going to group therapy, she was with younger girls. It made her feel bad to be reminded of how at that age, she felt invincible to the effects of eating disorders. 'I was like "Look what happens. Do you want it to follow you?"', she said."

Women in their 30s are more likely to take responsibility for their eating disorder, and many in the medical community hope younger sufferers will follow their lead. The sooner responsibility is taken, the sooner treatment and recovery can begin. Source: Charlotte (NC) Observer

Labels: adults, recovery, therapy

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