More And Younger Girls Suffer From Eating Disorders

The numbers of young girls suffering from anorexia have grown in the past year

It seems that the in the past years the numbers of young girls hospitalized after suffering from different eating disorders have grown.
According to the Daily Mail, the number of hospital stays for eating disorders has grown up 11 percent compared to the previous year. And girls aged only nine are brought to hospital to receive medical care for anorexia or other severe eating disorders, including bulimia, some being in such advanced conditions that they have to be fed by tube. Well, now statistics indicate that not only teenage girls are affected by these diseases, but also girls aged nine and under, the numbers of such cases being doubled in the past year.

However, most of the individuals that are admitted to hospital for eating disorders still are teenagers, aged between 15 and 19. The numbers here have grown with 15 percent in the past year. Anyway, the problem seems to be that these conditions are not discovered at young girls soon enough, and in fact, most cases receive treatment when they are already advanced and the girls are dangerously thin. Only in the UK more than 2,579 people were admitted to hospital with eating disorders last year, this actually representing a growth with about 12 percent compared to the previous year. Although from the total number of cases, only 20 were diagnosed at girls aged nine, this represents also a growth compared to previous years, and it is a quite alarming situation for girls so young. There were cases registered at girls aged only six.

Which is the cause of the growth of eating disorder cases among young girls? Well, it seems that the “size zero” culture can be blamed and this means that young girls want to looks like celebrities, actresses, singers or even models. Although in the past months this culture has been blamed by many people and in fact, fashion has become more permissive, allowing plus size models on the catwalk at famous brands major shows, still the positive effects on young girls are not visible, at least not yet.

Girls become obsessed with the way they look and are convinced that they are fat, although the reality is completely different. However, they hold unnecessary and very strict diets in the attempt to lose weight and look like their favorite star. Most of the times they don’t realize they have a problem. They usually hide the fact that they don’t really eat and lie about it. And although they lose a lot of weight, the patients are not able to realize it.

“Community care plays a vital role in ensuring that the number of hospital stays are kept to the minimum,” a spokesman for Beat, eating disorder charity said according to The Daily Mail. “This is demonstrated in areas where treatment concentrates on helping those affected before they reach a critical stage where they have to be admitted. A stay in hospital at an early age can be a major upheaval both for the child and their family.”

Individuals, and mostly girls, aged between 14 and 25 are considered to be at the highest risk in developing an eating disorder. Specialists also indicated that the lack of proper alimentation can determine different diseases such as anemia and sometimes a lack of sleep, which combined with the diet, can favor the development of depression.11