Body Image Warrior Week

This week is National Eating Disorder Awareness Week. According to NEDA, “The aim of NEDAwareness Week is to ultimately prevent eating disorders and body image issues while reducing the stigma surrounding eating disorders and improving access to treatment.” This week is extremely important to me, as someone who has struggled with anorexia and bulimia, and writes regularly about body image. You can click on the logo below to get more information about events, participants, and goals of this important ongoing event.

Both as a means of supporting NEDA’s work during awareness week, and as a way of introducing you to a group of amazing women who fight hard against body image oppression through their own words and work, Sally McGraw, author of the incredibly insightful blog Already Pretty, decided to coordinate Body Image Warrior Week. Throughout the course of this week, you’ll read posts from bloggers who have chosen to share their stories and wisdom, both here and on other participating blogs.

Here are some facts about eating disorders in the United States:

 PREVALENCE

• It is estimated that 8 million Americans have an eating disorder – seven million women and one million men
• One in 200 American women suffers from anorexia
• Two to three in 100 American women suffers from bulimia
• Nearly half of all Americans personally know someone with an eating disorder (Note: One in five Americans suffers from mental illnesses.)
• An estimated 10 – 15% of people with anorexia or bulimia are males

MORTALITY RATES

• Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness
• A study by the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders reported that 5 – 10% of anorexics die within 10 years after contracting the disease; 18-20% of anorexics will be dead after 20 years and only 30 – 40% ever fully recover
• The mortality rate associated with anorexia nervosa is 12 times higher than the death rate of ALL causes of death for females 15 – 24 years old.
• 20% of people suffering from anorexia will prematurely die from complications related to their eating disorder, including suicide and heart problems

ACCESS TO TREATMENT

• Only 1 in 10 people with eating disorders receive treatment
• About 80% of the girls/women who have accessed care for their eating disorders do not get the intensity of treatment they need to stay in recovery – they are often sent home weeks earlier than the recommended stay
• Treatment of an eating disorder in the US ranges from $500 per day to $2,000 per day. The average cost for a month of inpatient treatment is $30,000. It is estimated that individuals with eating disorders need anywhere from 3 – 6 months of inpatient care. Health insurance companies for several reasons do not typically cover the cost of treating eating disorders
• The cost of outpatient treatment, including therapy and medical monitoring, can extend to $100,000 or more

Participants in Body Image Warrior Week are:

Already Pretty
The Beheld
Decoding Dress
Dress with Courage
Eat the Damn Cake
Fit and Feminist
Medicinal Marzipan
Not Dead Yet Style
Rosie Molinary
Virginia Sole-Smith
Weightless

I will be publishing posts from these smart, insightful women throughout this week. Be sure to click through to their blogs to read even more posts regarding body image, struggles, and insights.

Naturally, this is just a small group of warriors and all are welcome to contribute to this project. If YOU’D like to participate in Body Image Warrior Week, just grab this code and paste it at the top of your post.

<a href=”http://www.alreadypretty.com/2012/02/body-image-warrior-week.html”><img title=”bodyimagewarrior_banner” src=”http://www.alreadypretty.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/bodyimagewarrior_banner1.png” alt=”" width=”502″ height=”102″ /></a>

I'm incredibly proud to be included in this project. It's so important to take a moment and reflect upon the importance of cultivating a positive body image. I hope you join me as I share posts from these bloggers, whom I so admire.