How common are eating disorders?

When I think of eating disorders, I usually associate them with teens. More specifically young girls. About 5-10 million females are suffering from eating disorders in the U.S. Females are not the only ones with this problem though, about 1 million young men are also struggling with eating disorders. Though young women are not the only ones with this problem, they are the most common individuals affected. If you want more information about how common eating disorders are among people, then you should definitely go to this website. It not only tells you how common they are, but also elaborates on some causes and tells how to prevent your loved ones from getting eating disorders. I think it's always good to be informed about things like this so you know how to prevent it from happening, or how to stop it if it already has happened.

What are eating disorders?

So I've always been interested in eating disorders and what causes them. I found some pretty interesting things when looking up causes, a few examples being: low self esteem, troubled family & personal relationships and history of physical or sexual abuse. You'll find more if you click the link. According to an online dictionary, "eating disorder" means "any of various disorders, as anorexia nervosa or bulimia, characterized by severe disturbances in eating habits."
I found this picture on google images when looking up anorexia. Personally, I think that this is a very disturbing picture. I don't like how I can see each and every one of her bones sticking out of her body. It sickens me.