Quote:
Originally Posted by ilovetv
First things first: (short-term and long-term disease need focus)
"Anorexia is the most lethal psychiatric disorder, carrying a sixfold increased risk of death -- four times the death risk from major depression.
The odds are even worse for people first diagnosed with anorexia in their 20s. They have 18 times the death risk of healthy people their age, according to an analysis of the medical literature by Jon Arcelus, MD, PhD, of the University of Leicester, England, and colleagues.
The study found anorexia to carry twice the death risk of schizophrenia and three times the death risk of bipolar disorder. Although anorexia is by far the deadliest eating disorder, death rates are also higher than normal in people with bulimia and "eating disorder not otherwise specified" (EDNOS, a common diagnosis for people with a mixture of atypical anorexia and atypical bulimia)...."
Deadliest Psychiatric Disorder: Anorexia |
I have never doubted the high risk of death for anorexics. But I doubt that this board would have any helpful impact. First of all, where are they? I've lived in The Villages since 1999 and have only seen one person that I suspected of being anorexic. And I say "suspected" because she might have had something other than anorexia. For example, she might have had inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
But assuming you could find someone with anorexia, how would you propose to be of help? Don't they need professional help? And looking at the big picture, what is the health care cost of anorexia in the U.S.? Then compare that cost with the U.S. health care cost for the overweight and obese.
That would make for an interesting comparison and might help to put things in proper perspective.