Eating+Disorders-The+Facts

Although the overwhelming majority of people with eating disorders are women and girls, there are male victims also. In the US alone, there are over 100 million female bulimics and anorexics, and about 1 million men and boys suffer from the same disorders. And all these people have a voice that needs to be heard. Wether developing the disorder was a cry for help or attention or not, they all need to be adressed. However, many anorexics and bulimics use their voice to encourage other peoples' disorders. Thousands are on Thinspiration or PrettyThin and they post stories or tips for other members to see. One story from PrettyThin deals with a victim in her twenties. She was pressured into disordered eating by her family and the way she was brought up. Her father would call her "fat, ugly,worthless, a failure" and she started to believe it. This led her to develop anorexia and she has had it for over a decade. However, eating disorders are not just illnesses that result in underweight victims. There are other disorders of compulsive overeating. These people usually eat more than they should constantly to cope with lonliness, grief like loss of a friend or famiy. This is a very uhealthy, addictive habit that affects many Americans.



