Anorexia nervosa, a typically rare chronic brain disorder for children, is on the rise in young kids, jumping 119% between 1999 and 2006, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
The disorder is highly inheritable, with estimates at 56 to 70% of familial co-morbidity. And, contrary to popular belief, it is not caused by sociological factors, claims Dr. Julie O'Toole, who spoke with KMBZ Kansas City:
"No one knows what triggers it. The science isn't there yet. But it's not caused by the media or by pressure to be thin, though people like to blame that. Parents don't cause eating disorders and children don't choose to have them."
"It has nothing to do with fashion magazines," she added. "We see farm kids, religiously-raised kids who are homeschooled and have no access to television . . . who developed anorexia nervosa."
According to the CDC, "mortality rates for [eating] disorders are among the highest for any psychiatric disorder."
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