Teen bulimia nervosa is one of several common eating disorders among adolescents and teens. Teens suffering from bulimia will binge eat, then purge through vomiting or the use of laxatives. Unlike some teens suffering from eating disorders, bulimic teens may appear healthy, and seem to have their lives in control. Teen bulimia is an illness, however, that can cause serious health problems or death, so teens with bulimia need to get medical treatment to recover from their eating disorder. Because teen bulimia is often associated with feelings of shame or guilt, and teens with bulimia often appear to be fine, teen bulimia may go unnoticed and undiagnosed, so the picture of teen bulimia is still incomplete. The following statistics represent what researchers currently know or estimate about teen bulimia.

Eating disorders such as bulimia are most common among teens, though eating disorders can begin earlier or later in life:

• Most people with bulimia develop it while in their teens, but people as young as 5 and as old as 60 have been diagnosed with bulimia.
• In one study, by the first year of college, between 4.5 to 18 percent of women reported having struggled with bulimia, and about .4 percent of men.
• Many researchers are concerned that young people are developing bulimia even earlier - adolescents between 8 and 11 are being diagnosed with bulimia more frequently.

Researchers estimate that about 1 percent of teens have an eating disorder:

• Teen bulimia is most common among teen girls, but about 20 percent of teens with bulimia are boys, and teen boys with eating disorders often go undiagnosed and untreated.
• Teens of all races can develop bulimia, but the majority of teens who are diagnosed with bulimia are white. Researchers are not certain that this means that the majority of teens who suffer from bulimia are white. The difference may be due to a variety of factors, such as genetics, culture, or the chances that a teen will seek help and therefore be diagnosed.

Though bulimia may be less physically obvious than anorexia at first, a teen’s eating habits may indicate that he or she is binging:

• While teens on average eat 2,000 to 3,000 calories a day, a binging teen may eat over 3,000 calories in an hour.
• Binges may last many hours, and the teen many consume over 10,000 calories while binging.
• Teens with bulimia may spend $50 or more on food per day, and some teens shoplift to get food for their binge.

Bulimia is often associated with other illnesses and disorders:

• About half teens with anorexia, which causes them to starve themselves, also suffer from bulimia.
• Doctors have reported that about one-third of teens with bulimia also shoplift, and about one-quarter have other addictions, such as alcohol.

Bulimia often becomes a compulsive behavior, and it needs to be treated as early as possible:

• Teens with bulimia respond differently to different types of therapy, such as group therapy, behavior modification, and nutrition therapy. Effective therapy usually lasts at least a year, and is generally outpatient unless the case is very severe. Teens who are treated early have a better chance of recovery.
• Between 5 and 20 percent of teens with bulimia will die because of the disorder.

Teens with bulimia need medical treatment without delay so they can recover from their eating disorder. If your teen may have bulimia, seek help immediately. Teens with bulimia should be treated by doctors, mental health professionals, and dieticians. Individual therapy is necessary to help the teen learn better eating habits and a better attitude about food and body image, and family therapy can help the teen to have a supportive environment during her or his recovery.

Teen Bulimia Statistics Sources:
Dixie Farley, U.S. Food and Drug Administration/Office of Public Affairs, “On the Teen Scene - Eating Disorders Require Medical Attention,” in FDA Consumer magazine, March 1992 [online]
National Eating Disorders Association, “Bulimia Nervosa” [online]
National Eating Disorders Association, “Statistics” [online]
Nemours Foundation, TeensHealth, “Eating Disorders: Anorexia and Bulimia” [online]