Eating Disorders Statistics
Treatment and Research Statistics

According to eating disorders statistics, not everyone with an eating disorder seeks treatment. Yet, according to eating disorder research, those who do seek treatment have a better chance of eating disorder recovery than those who don't seek help in eating disorder treatment centers.

Treatment & Research

• 1 in 10 people with an eating disorder seek treatment (including in eating disorder treatment centers)
• 6% of bulimics receive treatment
• Only 20% of those who seek treatment get the amount and intensity of treatment they need to recover
• The average length of stay required for recovery from an eating disorder is estimated at between 3 and 6 months of inpatient treatment
• Eating disorder treatment is extremely expensive
• Average cost for eating disorder treatment centers treatment is $30,000 per month or more
• Costs for inpatient eating disorder treatment centers range from $500 - $2,800 per day
• Costs for outpatient treatment - therapy and medical care - can cost more than $100,000 through the course of the eating disorder
• Only 50% of those with eating disorders report that they have recovered
• With treatment, 60% report recovery from an eating disorder
• 5 - 10% of anorexics die within 10 years of developing the eating disorder, anorexia
• 18 - 20% of anorexics die after 20 years of developing the eating disorder (that doesn't mean they had anorexia for 20 years ...)
• Up to 20% of those who do not receive treatment for their eating disorder die
• In general, 6% of people who develop an eating disorder die as a result
• With treatment, the mortality rate is between 2 & 3%
• More people die from an eating disorder than from any other mental health issues
• For teenagers and women between the ages 15 & 24 - 12 times more die from anorexia symptoms than from all other causes of death combined
• 75% of people in the US believe eating disorder treatment should be covered by insurance companies
• Funding for Alzheimer's research is 75% higher than for eating disorder research
• $1.20 per person is spent on eating disorder research as opposed to $159 per person for schizophrenia research.