Mirror mirror on the wall, who is the most at risk of all? Epidemiological studies on eating disorders

Eating disorders are severe psychiatric conditions, which often have negative consequences for both mental and physical health. Eating disorders have a high mortality risk in comparison to other psychiatric disorders. The etiology of eating disorders is complex and not fully understood.

This thesis examines the epidemiology of eating disorders: how frequently do they occur, and which factors contribute to their development?

A main finding is a rise in anorexia nervosa cases among young girls (aged 10–14 years) over the past 40 years. Possible explanations include the rise of social media use and the start of puberty at an earlier age. For bulimia nervosa, the general decrease in the occurrence of new cases has halted in the last 10 years.

We observed that anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa do occur in males and in older age groups, besides the well-known group of young females. Eating disorders among males are still underdetected because of unawareness and stigma.

Data from a longitudinal study show that anxious children and children with high weight are at increased risk for developing eating problems in young adulthood. Furthermore, children with poor self-control are more likely to develop obesity in young adulthood.

The results of this thesis highlight the importance of early prevention and treatment to minimalize the detrimental consequences of eating disorders.