Approximately 95% of those affected by anorexia are female, but males can develop the disorder as well.  In the U.S. and other countries with high economic status, it is estimated that about one out of every 100 adolescent girls has the disorder.  Caucasians are more often affected than people of other racial backgrounds, and anorexia is more common in middle and upper socioeconomic groups.  According to the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), an estimated 0.5% to 3.7% of women will suffer from this disorder at some point in their lives.

Anorexia nervosa is one type of eating disorder.  It is also a psychological disorder or condition that goes beyond out-of-control dieting.  A person with anorexia initially begins dieting to lose weight.  Over time, the weight loss becomes a sign of mastery and control where the drive to become thinner is actually secondary to concerns about control and/or fears related to one’s body.  The individual enters a continuous endless cycle of restrictive eating often to a point close to starvation in order to fell a sense of control over their body.  This cycle becomes an obsession similar to any type of drug or substance addiction.