Risk Factors
In the United States, about 7 million females and 1 million males suffer from eating disorders.
Age
Eating disorders occur most often in adolescents and young adults. However, they are becoming increasingly prevalent among young children. Eating disorders are more difficult to identify in young children because they are less commonly suspected.
Gender
Eating disorders occur predominantly among girls and women. About 90 - 95% of patients with anorexia nervosa, and about 80% of patients with bulimia nervosa, are female.
Race and Ethnicity
Most studies of individuals with eating disorders have focused on Caucasian middle-class females. However, eating disorders can affect people of all races and socioeconomic levels.
Personality Disorders
People with eating disorders tend to share similar personality and behavioral traits, including low self-esteem, dependency, and problems with self-direction. Specific psychiatric personality disorders may put people at higher risk for eating disorders.
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Review Date: 02/18/2011
Reviewed By: David B. Merrill, MD, Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry,
Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New
York, NY. Also reviewed by Harvey Simon, MD, Editor-in-Chief,
Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Physician,
Massachusetts General Hospital; and David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical
Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)
