Middle Aged with Eating Disorders
At Something-Fishy.org I found an interesting entry on the 'misconceptions about eating disorders'page: "ANYONE can suffer from Anorexia or Bulimia. Regardless of previously held beliefs, it is not only young, middle-class white teenagers or college students who can suffer. African-American, Hispanic, Asian, or white, women or men, rich to poor, from their teen years well into their fifties, there are sufferers from every age-bracket, class and culture. Don't rely on the 'written statistics' - they are based on reports made to government agencies and if a country, state, or province doesn't require that doctors report the cases, the statistics will not be accurate. Keep in mind as well, the more shame a person feels, the less likely that they will come forward and say they have an Eating Disorder... so if we keep perpetuating the idea that only 'young white women' suffer, less and less people who suffer that don't fit this ideal will not come forward, be acknowledged, and get the help they deserve." (By the way, Something-Fishy.org is one of the most helpful, informative and supportive 'eating disorder/pro-recovery' sites I've found...)
Recently, I happened across the end of an episode of The John Walsh Show. The episode specifically focussed on middle aged women - dealing with eating disorders. The following information about that episode, is from the JohnWalsh.tv site. "Recent statistics on eating disorders are alarming. New studies have shown that eating disorders, and the need to exercise compulsively, are steadily rising among middle-aged women. Although many see it as a condition mainly affecting adolescent girls, experts say the anxieties of midlife, including stress, marital problems, empty nest syndrome and deaths all contribute to its onset in late adulthood. Today, we meet women in their 30's, 40's, and even 50's who are battling this insidious condition. Debbie, 39, is anorexic and bulimic, and currently weighs only 90 pounds. She is battling an eating disorder that has plagued her for over 20 years, and says her health has suffered tremendously as a result of her disorder. She shares her struggle with us today in the hopes of helping others. Next, we meet 42-year-old Maggie, who is currently recovering from an eating disorder that has affected her life for many years. She is a wife and a mother, and says she would starve herself and exercise obsessively because she wanted to be "perfect." Maggie's 15-year-old daughter, Whitney, also joins us to share
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