Do eating disorders affect males, females, or both?
Females are much more likely to have eating disorders than males. In the United States young women may have a greater tendency to develop eating disorders because American culture encourages females to be thin. At what age do eating disorders appear? Eating disorders are usually diagnosed in adolescence or early adulthood. However, it is not unusual for someone who is twenty to thirty (20 – 30) years of age to suffer from an eating disorder. How often are eating disorders seen in our society? It is estimated that three percent (3%) of the young female population has some form of eating disorder. How are eating disorders diagnosed? Individuals with eating problems often attempt to keep this information secret from parents or friends. Therefore, other family members or friends must sometimes bring a young persons abnormal eating behavior to their parents attention, or they must talk directly with the individual about these issues. The individual can then be encouraged to seek proper prof
