Expanding the Boundaries: Reconfiguring the Demographics of the Typical Eating Disordered Patient

Eating disorders have long been recognized as problems afflicting a narrow segment of select populations: Caucasian, adolescent or young adult women from high-income Western countries. This review highlights recent data that reexamine and revise this constricted view of eating disorders in two specific ways. First, data are steadily accumulating that document the increasing prevalence of eating disorders among younger and older individuals. Pre-pubertal children and women in middle and late adulthood are increasingly presenting for eating disorder treatment. Second, data from around the globe indicate that there is nothing uniquely Western about eating disorders. As highlighted in this review, eating disorders are a global health problem, and they are predictably on the rise inmany parts of the world. The data are also clear that ethnic and racial minority groups and immigrants within North America are vulnerable to eating disorders. This growing knowledge base expands the boundaries of what has historically been considered the typical eating disordered patient and should raise awareness among health care providers of the needs of the broader community that is at risk for eating disturbances.