From the Associated Press comes an article about a group of people not normally paid much attention to: older anorexics. Anorexia is usually thought of as a disease affecting young women in their teens and early 20s (which is, for the most part, true), but the AP reports that anorexia is increasingly being seen in women in their 30s, 40s and even 50s.
There are several theories as to what's causing this increase in diagnoses. The first is that, quite simply, we've started paying more attention. Second, some people who have anorexia in their 20s never fully recover, so continue to be symptomatic later in life. And third, there's the ever-present societal pressure to be thin, coupled with an "ageing group of baby boomers." As the AP puts it, "While body image is an issue for any age group, women over 30 are dealing with problems that teens don't have, such as work, divorce, stepchildren and ageing parents."
While body image is an issue for any age group, women over 30 are dealing with problems that teens don't have, such as work, divorce, stepchildren and aging parents. The article urges these women to seek assistance in battling anorexia. Interestingly, many older anorexics who have sought treatment state motherhood as a primary motivator. One mother quoted in the article entered treatment when she was told she might have internal damage that could affect her ability to have children. Now 39 and out of treatment, she and her husband are parents to a 2-year-old boy. She says she's in recovery, and her primary goal these days is to be healthy.
