MESHS, March 1, 2024. 5:00 PM EST
This week is National Eating Disorder Awareness Week. In solidarity with those struggling with eating disorders, MESHS would like to discuss the issue generally, the impact of eating disorders on law students and legal professionals, and a few resources through which people can educate themselves about the topic.
As a general matter, according to ANAD (National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders) an estimated 9% of the U.S. population (or about 28.8 million Americans) will have an eating disorder in their lifetime. 15% of women will suffer from an eating disorder by their 40s or 50s, but only 27% receive any treatment for it. Those suffering from eating disorders are 11 times more likely to attempt suicide than their peers without eating disorder symptoms, and people with anorexia have a risk of suicide 18 times higher than those without an eating disorder. Anorexia has the highest case mortality rate of any mental illness, with an estimated 10,200 deaths each year being the direct result of an eating disorder (that’s 1 every 52 minutes). Eating disorders do not only impact those underweight; in fact fewer than 6% of people with eating disorders are medically diagnosed as “underweight”, and people in larger bodies are at the highest risk of developing an eating disorder in their lives. BIPOC people are affected by eating disorders at similar rates overall as their white peers, but are about half as likely to be diagnosed, and members of the LGBTQ+ community are at a higher risk of having an eating disorder than heterosexual people.
A recent study of law student mental health by the Journal of Legal education revealed that 27% of students who responded (34% of females and 18% of males) screened positive for some form of eating disorder, while only 3% had actually been diagnosed. Similar statistics for practicing lawyers is sparse, if not non-existent. Some of the largest mental health studies of the legal profession including a comprehensive 2016 collaborative study conducted by the Ford Foundation and the ABA reported extensively on the disproportionately high percentage of attorneys suffering from depression, alcohol and other substance abuse, and anxiety, but failed to include separate data relating to the prevalence of eating disorders.
While research on the impact and effects of eating disorders in legal education and practice are indeed sparce, we believe the first step to breaking the stigma is talking about it and informing yourself about eating disorder symptoms and available resources. In addition to the resources above, NEDA (National Eating Disorders Association) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ OWH (Office of Women’s Health) have compiled vast informative and ameliorative resources for those struggling with eating disorders and/or seeking to educate themselves about the issue. Regardless of whether you personally suffer from an eating disorder, stand in solidarity with your peers and friends who may be struggling with it not only this week, but year-round.