Eating Disorder Frequently Asked Questions

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• The Joint Commission
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What is an eating disorder?

An eating disorder is a variety of behaviors that serve to increase a sense of coping and feeling more in control of one’s emotions and bodily sensations through the skewed relationship between food and self. Eating disorders disrupt all areas of life: relationships, goals, commitments, functionality in life, time and energy spent, health, and more. These behaviors of restricting food, vomiting, bingeing, and obsessing…. All serve a purpose for someone with an eating disorder.

How do I know if I have an eating disorder?

There are many warning signs when it comes to the progression of an eating disorder. These can include preoccupation with food and body size, fluctuations in weight, focus on nutritional content, mood fluctuations, minimization of concerns from others around them, change in behaviors, or new patterns in routine. It’s okay to be fearful of stopping eating disorder behaviors as these actions helped ease your worries about feeling out of control with your body. Eating disorder behaviors can be fatal due to repetitive stress on the body and impairing basic bodily functions. Speaking with a qualified professional about your concerns is the first step!

What Types of Eating Disorders Do You Treat at Virtue Recovery Center Corbett, Las Vegas?

At Virtue Recovery Center, all are welcome! We accept individuals aged 18 and older struggling with an eating disorder: anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, ARFID, and OSFED. Residential treatment at Virtue focuses on a balance of nutritional education and experiential learning, and trauma treatment is blended with evidenced-based modalities and holistic practices. We offer weekly individual and family therapy and daily psychoeducational groups like DBT, Body Image, Nutrition Education, and others! Additionally, we offer art therapy, equine therapy, yoga 4x a week, and 12-step groups in the evening. We understand that eating disorders come in all shapes and sizes. Our facility is designed to be accommodating and comfortable.

1. Anorexia Nervosa
2. Bulimia Nervosa
3. Binge Eating Disorder
4. Compulsive Overeating
5. Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorders (OSFED)
6. Avoidant Food Restrictive Intake Disorder (ARFID)

Who would not be a good fit at Virtue Recovery Center Corbett, Las Vegas?

Virtue Recovery Center prioritizes safety and would encourage those with active psychosis, a history of aggressive behaviors, self-harm/NSSI episodes requiring stitches, elopement, or administrative discharge from another program to consider other programs for care. Individuals who require a vegan meal plan would not be a good fit for our program due to our nutritional philosophy that “all foods fit.” Using feeding tubes and other enteral feeding tubes is considered too medically acute for our program, and we would recommend other higher-level care options.

How long is treatment?

Treatment varies from 30–90 days, depending on the individual and the treatment plan created for their specific needs. Our program is created for a 45-day treatment experience due to the structure of abating behaviors in a setting that promotes self-examination and insight-oriented growth.

What is residential care for eating disorders?

At Virtue Recovery Center, we plan experientials starting the first week of treatment to minimize the risk of being in the “treatment bubble” where triggers lose their sting. This approach allows the processing of real-world experiences in real-time with experts in the field alongside you and the experience. Residential treatment fosters building a foundation of coping skills to regulate emotions and stay present within their bodies to benefit from trauma therapy while receiving nutritional care. The residential treatment represents reduced medical acuity, increased mood stability, and intermittent use of behaviors in a structured setting. Virtue Recovery Center believes changes come from psychoeducational materials and discussions, individual and family support therapies, and aftercare planning to ensure a safe transition to less daily support once leaving residential care.

Will my family be involved in treatment?

Family involvement is recommended as issues often stem from the family, and treatment provides an opportunity to address relationship difficulties. Families offer an important perspective in the healing process and can share insights valuable to the treatment experience. Whether you have a family of origin or a family of choice to support you, let us support you all!

What is the treatment philosophy at Virtue Recovery Center Corbett Las Vegas?

Eating disorders are unique, like you! Our treatment philosophy is to consider patterns from childhood to the present that skew the relationship with self and others. At Virtue Recovery, we explore thoughts, emotions, and experiences to develop insight to prepare for future stressors that don’t jeopardize your recovery and increase resilience when challenged. Our nutritional philosophy is “all foods fit,” and we believe that health at every size is key to a life of enjoyment! Combining our therapeutic and nutritional philosophies has curated a program at Virtue that blends education and real-life experimenting with skills learned to build more confidence in recovery.

What Dual Diagnosis disorders emerge in treatment for an eating disorder?

A dual diagnosis is a typical result for those addicted to alcohol and illegal street drugs. We must remember that this is a nondiscriminatory disease that can affect anyone regardless of race or color. This can impact a chronic user irrespective of ethnicity or creed, whether you are a man or a woman, husband, father, mother, or wife. It doesn’t matter how old you are or how educated you are. Addiction could care less about your sexual orientation, whether straight or gay. It doesn’t matter if you are rich or poor, famous or unknown; it is a disease that affects an individual’s mind, body, and soul.

Find Hope at Virtue Recovery Center

The staff at Virtue Recovery Center looks forward to helping you and your loved ones on the road to recovery. Get in touch with us today to learn more about our facilities located throughout the United States. Call 866-461-3339 or verify your insurance here.

Eating Disorder Statistics

General Eating Disorder Statistics

• An estimated 9% of the U.S. population, or 28.8 million Americans, will have an eating disorder in their lifetime.
• 15% of women will suffer from an eating disorder by their 40s or 50s, but only 27% receive any treatment for it.
• Fewer than 6% of people with eating disorders are medically diagnosed as “underweight.” People in larger bodies are at the highest risk of having developed an eating disorder in their lives, and among people in larger bodies, the higher the BMI, the higher the risk.
• In a sample from an American emergency room, 16% of adult patients screened positive for an eating disorder.
• Anorexia nervosa has the highest case mortality rate and second-highest crude mortality rate of any mental illness.
• 10,200 deaths each year are the direct result of an eating disorder — that’s one death every 52 minutes.
• Eating disorder sufferers with the highest symptom severity are 11 times more likely to attempt suicide than their peers without eating disorder symptoms, and even those with sub-threshold symptoms are 2 times more likely. Patients with anorexia have a risk of suicide 18 times higher than those without an eating disorder.
• The economic cost of eating disorders is $64.7 billion every year.
• Over 3.3 million healthy life years worldwide are lost yearly because of eating disorders.
• Eating disorder claims in the United States rose 65% as a percentage of all medical claims from 2018 to 2022.
• The proportion of people with eating disorders who were hospitalized doubled during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Anorexia Nervosa Statistics

• Anorexia nervosa has the highest mortality rate of any mental illness — a death rate approximately 12 times higher than the general population.
• The lifetime prevalence of anorexia nervosa is up to 4% among females and 0.3% among males.
• Anorexia nervosa rates have increased among children under 15 in recent years, highlighting the urgency of early intervention.
• The prevalence of anorexia nervosa among women is 0.9%, while it is 0.3% among men.
• 95% of those who have eating disorders are between the ages of 12 and 25.
• Females with anorexia nervosa outnumber males on a 10:1 ratio.
• Nearly 1 in 10 people with autism spectrum disorder meet diagnostic criteria for anorexia nervosa.
• 25% of those who recover from anorexia nervosa after treatment may relapse.
• Patients with anorexia have a risk of suicide 18 times higher than those without an eating disorder.
• Only 1 in 10 individuals with an eating disorder receive treatment.
• Family-based therapy (FBT) has a 50–60% success rate for teenagers with anorexia nervosa, outperforming individual therapy for this age group.
• Up to 44% of those with anorexia nervosa also have OCD.

Bulimia Nervosa Statistics

• Bulimia nervosa affects up to 3% of females and over 1% of males over their lifetimes.
• A recent review in the United States estimated the lifetime prevalence of bulimia nervosa to be 0.3% overall, with higher rates in females (0.5%) than in males (0.08%).
• The peak age of incidence for bulimia nervosa ranges from 15 to 29 years.
• Recent research finds a 3.9% mortality rate for bulimia nervosa, comparable to the 4% rate for anorexia nervosa. The highest mortality rate (2.3%) occurs between ages 20–30.
• Cardiac arrest is the most common cause of death among those with bulimia, caused by electrolyte imbalances from habitual purging.
• Other causes of mortality related to bulimia include choking during self-induced vomiting, esophagus or stomach rupture, and kidney failure.
• Individuals with bulimia nervosa have a standardized mortality ratio of approximately 1.7 compared to the general population.
• 94.5% of those with bulimia nervosa meet criteria for at least one other mental health disorder.
• Up to 33% of those with bulimia nervosa also have OCD.
• Fluoxetine (Prozac) is the only FDA-approved medication specifically for bulimia nervosa.
• The majority of adolescents with bulimia have at least one other psychiatric disorder, as high as 88%.

Binge Eating Disorder Statistics

• Binge eating disorder (BED) is the most common eating disorder in the United States, affecting an estimated 2.8 million adults.
• BED affects an estimated 3.5% of women and 2% of men, and affects 30–40% of those seeking weight loss treatment.
• The lifetime prevalence of binge eating disorder averages 1.9% in international surveys and 2.6% in studies conducted in the United States.
• The median age of onset for binge eating disorder in the U.S. is 12.6 years, during early adolescence. Some studies estimate it may affect up to 5% of teenagers, with a peak prevalence at age 16–17.
• Approximately 62.6% of the population with binge eating disorder experiences functional impairment in social, familial, or professional relations.
• Approximately 79% of people with a history of binge eating disorder have at least one lifetime psychiatric comorbidity.
• BED is present twice as frequently in females compared to males (1.6% and 0.8%, respectively).
• Binge eating disorder is highly comorbid with obesity and is associated with several health risks, including type 2 diabetes and hypertension.
• Vyvanse is FDA-approved for moderate to severe binge eating disorder and can reduce bingeing episodes by 20–30%.
• Using both CBT and medication can raise long-term remission rates to 50–70%.

Dual Diagnosis Eating Disorder Statistics

• Research shows that up to 95% of people diagnosed with an eating disorder also receive a diagnosis for at least one other psychiatric disorder — known as dual diagnosis.
• Overall, 72% of patients with eating disorders are diagnosed with at least one co-occurring mental illness.
• Approximately 56.2% of those with anorexia nervosa, 94.5% of those with bulimia nervosa, and 78.9% of those with binge eating disorder meet criteria for at least one other mental health disorder.
• The most common co-occurring psychiatric disorders with eating disorders include anxiety disorders (affecting up to 62%), depression, OCD, PTSD, and personality disorders.
• The percentage of one or more co-occurring mental health conditions ranges from 65% among patients with ARFID to 78% among patients with bulimia. The most common co-occurring conditions also include ADHD (11.2%).
• More than 20% of eating disorder patients also have a co-occurring substance use disorder.
• Between 10 and 35% of patients with eating disorders have OCD unrelated to the eating disorder.
• Individuals with eating disorders and co-occurring mental health conditions often experience more distress than others and may require different psychotropic medications and multiple rounds of therapeutic intervention.
• A 2023 study highlighted that personalized treatment — rather than standardized approaches — decreases eating disorder symptom severity along with the symptoms of comorbid mental illnesses.

BIPOC Eating Disorder Statistics

• While BIPOC people are affected by eating disorders at similar rates overall as their white peers, they are about half as likely to be diagnosed.
• BIPOC patients with eating and weight concerns are significantly less likely to be asked about eating disorder symptoms by their doctors than non-minority patients.
• When therapists were presented with descriptions of a fictional patient — identical except for race — they were less likely to recognize eating disorder symptoms in the Black and Hispanic patient compared to the white patient.
• In a study of adolescents age 11 to 25 who were suffering malnutrition from an eating disorder, only 40% received the recommended treatment, and patients who used public insurance were only one third as likely to receive the recommended mental health treatment. Latinx patients were about half as likely to receive the necessary treatment as their white peers.
• Asian American college students report higher rates of restriction compared with their white peers and higher rates of purging, muscle building, and cognitive restraint than their white or non-Asian BIPOC peers.

LGBTQ+ Eating Disorder Statistics

• Members of the LGBTQ+ community are at a higher risk of having an eating disorder than heterosexual people. Overall, LGBTQ+ youth are three times more likely to have an eating disorder when compared to their straight peers, with homosexual and bisexual girls at 2.5 times and homosexual and bisexual boys at 6 times higher rates.
• About 1 in 3 sexual minority teenagers say they engaged in dangerous weight control behaviors within the past month.
• About 75% of transgender college students with eating disorders attempt suicide.
• Transgender college students are diagnosed with eating disorders at four times the rate of their cisgender classmates.
• 32% of transgender people report using their eating disorder to modify their body without hormones.

Co-Occurring Conditions Eating Disorder Statistics

• Over 70% of people with eating disorders also have other conditions, most commonly anxiety and mood disorders.
• People with diet-related chronic conditions — like diabetes and irritable bowel disease — may be at a higher risk of disordered eating.
• In a study, girls with type 1 diabetes aged 9–13 were evaluated for 14 years, and by the time they were in their 20s, 40.8% met criteria for a full- or sub-threshold eating disorder, and 59.2% took part in dangerous disordered eating behavior.
• Between 13 to 58% of ARFID patients also have Autism Spectrum Disorder. In a study of children with ASD and severe food limitations, 78% ate a diet that put them at risk for five or more nutritional deficiencies.
• Between 6 and 17% of eating disorder patients also have ADHD.
• Girls with ADHD are 3.6 times more likely to have an eating disorder in general and 5.6 times more likely to have bulimia in particular.

Athletes Eating Disorder Statistics

• Athletes report higher rates of excessive exercise than non-athletes.
• Female athletes are twice as likely to engage in eating disorder behavior than male athletes; however, both men (77%) and women (80%) participating in weight-dependent sports report using compensatory behaviors.
• Binge eating disorder is the most prevalent eating disorder among male athletes.
• Athletes in aesthetic sports — such as gymnastics, figure skating, and dance — face a higher risk of developing eating disorders than those in non-aesthetic sports.

Veterans Eating Disorder Statistics

• In a study of military personnel from Iraq and Afghanistan, an estimated 32.8% of female and 18.8% of male veterans showed signs of probable eating disorders, highest being atypical anorexia nervosa (13.6% of women and 4.9% of men), bulimia nervosa (6.1% of women and 3.5% of men), and binge eating disorder (4.4% of women and 2.9% of men).
• Trauma, PTSD, and the stressful nature of military service can exacerbate eating disorders among veterans.
• Armed forces culture may be a barrier to treatment, as military personnel are often encouraged not to seek assistance.

Children & Young Adults Eating Disorder Statistics

• A 2023 study revealed a 93% increase in eating disorder-related medical visits by youth.
• At age 6 to 10, girls start to worry about their weight, and by age 14, 60 to 70% are trying to lose weight.
• A survey found that 77% of children and adolescents as young as 12 dislike their bodies, and 45% say they are regularly bullied about how they look.
• Up to 22% of children and adolescents struggle with disordered eating.
• More than 5% of adolescent girls met the criteria for anorexia, bulimia, or binge eating disorder by age 20 in a longitudinal study; more than 13% had experienced an eating disorder when including non-specific symptoms.

Male Eating Disorder Statistics

• A 2023 review noted the rates of eating disorders in men ranged from 0.74 to 2.2%.
• Men accounted for 25% of diagnosed eating disorder cases in research.
• Binge eating disorder is the most common eating disorder among men.
• Men are two times more likely to have a comorbid substance use disorder and are overall more likely to have other co-occurring mental health issues.
• Men are 3 times more likely than females to experience muscle dysmorphia.
• Men are less likely to seek treatment for eating disorders due to stigma and the misconception that eating disorders are a “female” condition.

Older Adult Eating Disorder Statistics

• Eating disorders are not limited to young people — they occur across the lifespan, including in adults over 50.
• Older adults with eating disorders often go undiagnosed because symptoms are attributed to aging or other medical conditions.
• Late-onset eating disorders can develop in response to major life transitions, grief, or medical illness.
• Over 3.3 million healthy life years worldwide are lost yearly because of eating disorders.

Virtue Recovery’s Eating Disorder Treatments

• Anorexia Nervosa — Evidence-based treatment to restore health and overcome restrictive eating and body image struggles.
• Bulimia Nervosa — Compassionate care to break the cycle of bingeing, purging, and harmful eating behaviors.
• Orthorexia Nervosa — Specialized treatment to heal the obsession with “clean” or “pure” eating.
• Binge Eating — Comprehensive therapy to address compulsive overeating and build a healthier relationship with food.
• Compulsive Overeating — Supportive programs to reduce emotional overeating and promote long-term recovery.
• Rumination Disorder — Targeted treatment for chronic regurgitation and re-chewing behaviors.
• OSFED — Personalized care for complex eating disorder symptoms that don’t fit one category.
• ARFID — Treatment designed to help overcome restrictive eating and food avoidance.
• UFED — Compassionate support for eating disorder symptoms that don’t meet specific diagnostic criteria.
• Laxative Abuse — Safe, effective treatment for laxative misuse and its physical and emotional consequences.
• Diabulimia — Integrated care for individuals with Type 1 diabetes who struggle with insulin restriction and eating disorder behaviors.
• Body Dysmorphia — Holistic treatment to address obsessive thoughts and behaviors about perceived physical flaws.