Mental health conditions that involve difficulties with eating patterns — such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge-eating disorder — cause considerable distress for young people and their families. Recent estimates suggest that 0.2% of 12- to 18-year-olds — or approximately 700 youth in BC — may have these disorders at any given time.

Examining the experiences of more than 17,000 teens and young adults, researchers found that those with anorexia had more than five times the expected mortality rate, and those with bulimia had nearly two times the expected rate. As well, a study that included 15- to 19-year-olds who received care for eating disorders in a hospital in Ontario similarly found mortality rates five times higher than in the general population. Preventing eating disorders is therefore crucial, and childhood is the optimal time to intervene.

For more information, see Vol. 17, No. 4 of the Children’s Mental Health Research Quarterly.