Eating Disorder Statistics

*Statistics show that 1 in 5 women suffer from an eating disorder.

*70 million individuals are affected by eating disorders worldwide, with 24 million being
American.

*10 to 15 percent are male.

*90 percent of women with eating disorders are between the ages of 12 and 25.

*Currently approximately 11 percent of high school students have been diagnosed with an eating disorder.

*15 percent of young women in the US who are not diagnosed with an eating disorder exhibit substantially disordered eating behavior and attitude.

*4 percent of college-aged women have bulimia.

*Approximately 50 percent of anorexics will develop bulimia or bulimic behaviors.

* 31 percent of teenage girls in the US and 28 percent of teenage boys in the US are overweight.

*15 percent of US teenage girls and almost 14 percent of US teenage boys are obese.

*It is estimated that 1 percent of women in the US have binge eating disorder.

*Approximately 60 percent of those with an eating disorder that seek treatment will recover.

*Without treatment up to 20 percent of those with serious eating disorders will die.

*At least 50,000 individuals will die as the result of an eating disorder.





information compiled from the following sites:
http://www.eatingdisorderinfo.org
http://www.anred.com

picture source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tollieschmidt/3658312050/

Building Self-Esteem

Silverstone defines self-esteem as "the sense of contentment and self-acceptance that stems from a person's appraisal of their own worth, significance, attractiveness, competence and ability to satisfy their aspirations" (Silverstone 1992).
Read about self-esteem, it's development, and importance in this excellent article by Kathy Hanlon.

"Self-esteem is how we feel about ourselves, and our behavior clearly reflects those feelings. For example, a child or teen with high self-esteem will be able to:

• act independently
• assume responsibility
• take pride in his accomplishments
• tolerate frustration
• attempt new tasks and challenges
• handle positive and negative emotions
• offer assistance to others

On the other hand, a child with low self-esteem will:

• avoid trying new things
• feel unloved and unwanted
• blame others for his own shortcomings
• feel, or pretend to feel, emotionally indifferent
• be unable to tolerate a normal level of frustration
• put down his own talents and abilities
• be easily influenced"

The above from: Helping Your Child Develop Self-Esteem
A strong, positive sense of self is important in everyday life, and a powerful weapon against eating disorders.

Some simple ways to help build self-esteem in your child:

• "Be generous with praise. Parents must develop the habit of looking for situations in which children are doing good jobs, displaying talents, or demonstrating positive character traits. Remember to praise children for jobs well done and for effort.
• Teach positive self-statements. It is important for parents to redirect children's inaccurate or negative beliefs about themselves and to teach them how to think in positive ways.
• Avoid criticism that takes the form of ridicule or shame. Blame and negative judgments are at the core of poor self-esteem and can lead to emotional disorders.
• Teach children about decision making and to recognize when they have made good decisions. Let them "own" their problems. If they solve them, they gain confidence in themselves. If you solve them, they'll remain dependent on you. Take the time to answer questions. Help children think of alternative options.
• Show children that you can laugh at yourself. Show them that life doesn't need to be serious all the time and that some teasing is all in fun. Your sense of humor is important for their well-being."

The above from: Your Child’s Mental Health: Building Self-Esteem in Children
See how you score on this quiz about eating disorders and self-esteem: Eating Disorders & Self Esteem Quiz

See sidebar for list and links to Resources and Tools for more self-assessment tests.

For more information please visit: National Association For Self-esteem

http://mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/publications/allpubs/Ca-0048/default.asp
http://www.vanderbilt.edu/AnS/psychology/health_psychology/esteem.htm#Risk%20Factors%20For%20Low%20Self-Esteem...
http://www.childdevelopmentinfo.com/parenting/self_esteem.shtml
picsourcehttp://www.flickr.com/photos/rogerss1/2875665576/