Anorexia is a scary thing. 20% of people suffering from anorexia will die if their eating disorder goes untreated. 2-3% of those who seek treatment will still die of anorexia. Of those who seek treatment, only 60% will make a full recovery. 20% will be able to function in society but will continue to obsess over food and will remain underweight and the remaining 20% will remain dangerously underweight. They will spend much of their lives in and out of the emergency room, mental health clinics, inpatient hospital units, and eating disorder treatment programs. They will suffer from debilitating depression.
Imagine looking to your future and seeing only starvation on the horizon.
As terrifying as anorexia is, an eating disorder unacknowledged is, in some ways, even scarier. The folks from CRC Health Group have recently published an infographic on what they are calling “Almost Anorexia,” which affects 1 in 20 women and in far greater numbers among teen girls in the United States (whereas anorexia affects 1 in 200). While it is a milder manifestation of anorexia, it often goes unaddressed. People with almost anorexia are less likely to acknowledge that they have a problem and seek help. But almost anorexia is an eating disorder, and eating disorders are among the deadliest of all mental disorders. If you or someone you know is experiencing symptoms of an eating disorder, please seek help! You are so much more than your weight. It isn’t worth your life.
You can contact CRC Health for more information about eating disorder treatment and learn more about eating disorders by visiting websites like the National Eating Disorder Association.
The graphic was inspired by the book ‘Almost Anorexic’ by Jennifer J. Thomas, PhD and Jenni Schaefer.
