The Ultimate List of Bulimia Nervosa Statistics

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of binge eating in combination with inappropriate compensatory behaviours (e.g., self-induced vomiting, laxative misuse).

Understanding the latest bulimia nervosa statistics is important for increasing awareness around the condition, especially as the condition is associated with profound medical, psychological, and social complications. Key statistics on bulimia nervosa are:

1. The lifetime prevalence of bulimia nervosa for adult women ranges from 1.7%-2.0% and for men ranges from 0.5-0.7% ¹Keski-Rahkonen A, Raevuori A, Hoek HW. Epidemiology of eating disorders: an update. Annual Review of Eating Disorders: CRC Press 2018:66-76..
2. The standardized mortality ratio for bulimia nervosa has been estimated to be 1.9 ²Arcelus J, Mitchell AJ, Wales J, et al. Mortality rates in patients with anorexia nervosa and other eating disorders: a meta-analysis of 36 studies. Archives of general psychiatry. 2011;68(7):724-731..
3. 8% may cross-over to a diagnosis of anorexia nervosa and 9% may cross-over to a diagnosis of binge-eating disorder ³Castellini G, Lo Sauro C, Mannucci E, et al. Diagnostic crossover and outcome predictors in eating disorders according to DSM-IV and DSM-V proposed criteria: A 6-year follow-up study. Psychosomatic Medicine. 2011;73:270-279..
4. 17% who recover from bulimia nervosa after treatment may relapse⁴Castellini G, Lo Sauro C, Mannucci E, et al. Diagnostic crossover and outcome predictors in eating disorders according to DSM-IV and DSM-V proposed criteria: A 6-year follow-up study. Psychosomatic Medicine. 2011;73:270-279..
5. The average age of onset is 18 years, although the age of onset is declining in more recent studies ⁵Keski-Rahkonen A, Hoek H, Linna M, et al. Incidence and outcomes of bulimia nervosa: a nationwide population-based study. Psychological Medicine. 2009;39:823-831..
6. In some samples, 50% made a full recovery without any treatment at all ⁶Fairburn CG, Cooper Z, Doll HA, et al. The natural course of bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder in young women. Archives of General Psychiatry. 2000;57:659-665..
7. 35% of people with bulimia nervosa engage in self-harm behaviours ⁷Fairburn CG, Harrison PJ. Eating disorders. The Lancet. 2003;361:407-416..
8. Around 35% are expected to fully recover following psychotherapy ⁸Linardon J, Wade T. How many individuals achieve symptom abstinence following psychological treatments for bulimia nervosa? A meta-analytic review. International Journal of Eating Disorders. 2018;51:287-294..

Hopefully, this article has provided you with insights into bulimia nervosa and its impact.

Now I’d like to turn it over to you, what was the most surprising or interesting statistic from this article?

Let me know by leaving a comment below.