There’s a trend afoot. It’s an epidemic. Seasoned executives, judges, and artists are quietly disappearing on sick leave. Auburn-haired grandmothers, who drive Mini Coopers and carry iPods, are foregoing the chance to take their grandchildren to the zoo. Just when these women should be in the prime of their lives, confident about whom they have become and the choices they have made, they’re in trouble. Women are checking in for eating disorders treatment in numbers at least triple those of 10 years ago. The greatest surge has occurred just in the last 5 years.
“We are seeing more and more older women seeking help and attending our monthly support groups”, says Janice Bremis, Executive Director, Eating Disorder Resource Center, in Campbell, CA.
Early data indicates that the upsurge consists of three groups of older women: those who develop a problem for the first time, those relapsing in midlife, and those with a chronic pre-existing problem who have only now decided to get help.
It seems that something about contemporary aging is stirring up latent eating disorders. But something about aging can also prompt treatment.
So what’s the connection between middle age and eating issues? There are no fewer than 15 life changes that can happen in midlife; experiencing an empty nest, going through menopause, and getting a divorce are just a few. These life stresses can begin or awaken latent eating disorders
Indeed, eating disorders evolve. They wax with the stresses of marriage, pregnancy and, of course, midlife. Eating disorders wane with the joys of passion, be it childrearing, career, or personal endeavor. For example, some women who struggled with bulimia nervosa in their younger years stop vomiting by their 50s. But they may pick up over-exercising as a replacement. Exercise can be healthy. But over-exercising is not. It is a form of purging. Too much exercise takes a bigger toll on an older body as compared to a teen’s, causing more sports-related injuries, osteoporosis and more severe medical complications.
If you are suffering when older, it may be especially hard to admit a problem. You may believe you are a double loser: first, because you have the eating disorder, and second, because you think you should know better.
The truth is that eating disorders are terrible diseases. And they affect anyone at any stage of life. Eating disorders experts are now more aware of the special needs of women in midlife. The treatments may involve a mix of psychotherapy, drugs, and/or group therapy with other individuals at the same stage of life.
Even more hopeful, an older woman has seen a lot more than a teenager. That life experience can help her accept therapy more readily than a rebellious teen. In fact, many women come in for treatment for the first time in midlife and actually benefit more than adolescents. Older women often pay their own treatment bills, so they don’t want to throw their money away. Older women understand that time is running out. And more importantly, older women can be, simply, more ready.
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