Dieting has reached new heights in America. As more and more people buy the latest weight-loss pill or low carbohydrate food, the companies selling these products continue to grow. In the past two decades, the diet industry in the U.S. has nearly tripled its gross annual income to a staggering $50 billion.
According to the National Institutes of Health, 20 to 24% of men and 33 to 40% of women are actively dieting to lose weight. But do extreme diets and food restrictions really lead to weight loss or can dieting behaviors turn to more negative habits?
Dieting is not without risk. People who have been on a diet can attest to their lack of effectiveness and many health care professionals believe dieting may actually contribute to obesity. The more our society focuses on dieting and weight loss, the more we focus on food. These unhealthy preoccupations can even develop into eating disorders. According to the British Medical Journal, women who diet at a severe level are 18 times more likely to develop an eating disorder.
There is hope and help for eating disorders, and early intervention is the key.
Last year, 51,000 online mental health screenings were completed through Screening for Mental Health’s CommunityResponse® program. The free, anonymous screenings opened doors to treatment and offered hope to thousands of people from all walks of life. The quick self-assessment tool is designed to help individuals identify symptoms of eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder. Upon completion, people get access to a list of local resources for further evaluation and treatment.
With National Eating Disorders Awareness Week approaching (February 20-26) take advantage of the opportunity to offer these screenings to your community. The cost of the program is pro-rated to $148.75, which will give you the capacity to offer online screening for eating disorders to your community from now until September 1st 2011. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Sara Herman at 781-591-5233 or email [email protected].