Why Are Eating Disorders Skyrocketing Among Midlife Men And Women?

By Lori Osachy, MSS, LCSW –

I have been an eating disorders and body image therapist for over twenty years, and have noticed an alarming trend.  Eating and body image disorders are skyrocketing among midlife women and men.  The media and our culture tend to categorize eating disorders as a plague of teens and young adults, but the truth is much more staggering.  Studies show that 13 percent of American women 50 or older experience symptoms of an eating disorder: 60 percent report that their concerns about weight and shape negatively affect their lives; and 70 percent are trying to lose weight.  When you consider that 34.4 percent of the U.S. population is now made up of women and men over age 45, it’s easier to see that we may have a renewed eating and body image disorder epidemic on our hands that will only continue to grow as our population ages.

What factors trigger poor body image and eating problems in mid-life?

The answer is complex.  First, it’s important to realize that advertisers from the diet, makeup and fashion industries purposefully target this demographic since they have more money to spend.  These companies frame normal signs of aging, such as wrinkles, gray hair, baldness and weight gain, as solvable “problems”.  And of course, they then are able to offer their expensive “solutions,” ranging from dyes and creams to pricey and sometimes dangerous elective cosmetic procedures.

There are certain triggers for developing eating disorders that are specific to middle aged adults.  These include being unprepared for retirement or an empty nest, experiencing divorce or infidelity, going through perimenopause and menopause, caring for elderly parents while still supporting children and/or adult children, or loss of job and income.  On top of that there is much more of a push by the media, including celebrities, to look, feel and act ageless.

As we get older, we less able to fully recover from the devastating effects of eating disorders (starving, purging, compulsive exercise and body hatred), making them even more dangerous to older adults.  More troubling, eating disordered thinking and behaviors can be masked by our society’s obsession with fitness, clean eating, dieting and anti-aging.  For example, you may be rewarded for training for a mid-life marathon by your peers, even if you hate your body and feel fat inside, restrict your food, or use laxatives to drop weight.

Here are some tips on what to do if you think an older adult in your life has an eating or body image disorder:

• Don’t attack out of worry; focus on behaviors and changes that are observable (i.e. severe weight loss, the bill for expensive anti-aging products, lots of comments on being ugly, old or feeling fat)
• Have resources for help in hand before you talk to them, including a list of therapists and nutritionists who are eating disorder specialists
• Talk to them more than once if you have to– don’t go into denial with your loved one
• Consider bringing their friends and other older members of the family in on the conversation.

What can you do to help turn negative body image around?

I am thrilled to announce that The Body Image Counseling Center has just launched a cutting-edge mental health initiative, Text2BWell Positive Body Image Program. In partnership with CareWire, Inc. (www.carewireinc.com), we have developed a low-cost 8-week text messaging series of proven techniques and action steps to help people transform the way they feel about their body, food and exercise, all from the privacy of their cell phone!

The only information required enroll in the program is a first name and a text-capable phone number.  The course content is delivered directly to a registered user’s mobile phone via text, no apps or downloads required. Each week, a series of personalized text messages will be sent that include a proven technique and supporting actions steps to quickly begin to feel better about their body. Participants will also receive more in-depth web content and password-protected forums, plus weekly conversations facilitated by me in a private online forum. There they can receive one-on-one expert support from me, and interact with others on a similar journey. 

People can register for the program two ways:

• Go to text2Bwell.com
• Text the word “behealthy” to 44222, which will send a sign-up link to the phone.

The first text will be received within 24 hours of sign-up, and after that, texts will be automatically sent three times a week for a total of eight weeks.

If you worry you or someone you love is suffering from an eating or body image disorder, help is available.  No one should suffer in silence!  And remember, I’ll be in the forums providing advice and guidance to help the program’s participants to love their body just the way it is, starting today. 

A nationally recognized authority in the treatment and prevention of eating disorders, depression, anxiety, and related mental health issues, Lori has successfully counseled adults, children and families for over twenty years. She regularly lectures, teaches and is the author of numerous articles promoting eating disorders education among health care professionals and the lay population, and is a regular mental health consultant for broadcast and print media. She received her B.A. from Cornell University, and her M.S.S. from Bryn Mawr Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research. Lori is the owner of The Body Image Counseling Center in Jacksonville, Fla. For more information visit: BodyImageCounseling.com or call 904-737-3232.