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According to the first nationally representative study of eating disorders in the United States, which appeared in the February 2007 edition of Biological Psychiatry, 1.5 percent of women and 0.5 percent of men reported suffering from bulimia in their lifetime.
The illness lasted for about 8 years.
Here are some bulimia nervosa statistics from various other US organisations, which were all obtained from their corresponding websites:
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH):
Somewhere between 1.1 and 4.2 percent of females suffer from bulimia nervosa in their lifetime.
Academy for Eating Disorders:
Approximately 50 percent of bulimia sufferers recover, while 30 percent show some improvement and 20 percent continue to be fully bulimic.
Roughly between 1 and 2 percent of adult and late adolescent women meet the full diagnostic criteria for a diagnosis of bulimia nervosa.
According to long term follow up studies, 10 percent of bulimia sufferers still meet the diagnostic criteria for bulimia nervosa after having had the illness for 10 years.
National Eating Disorders Association:
The number of cases of bulimia tripled in women aged 10-39 between 1988 and 1993.
Only 6 percent of people with bulimia in the community receive mental health care.
The Renfrew Center Foundation:
An average woman gains 25 lbs during pregnancy, while bulimics gain an average of 5.7 lbs during pregnancy.
