Eating Disorders During Adolescence and the Risk for Physical and Mental Disorders During Early Adulthood

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Abstract
PATIENTS WITH severe eating disorders have elevated rates of physical illness,1-9 psychiatric disorder,10-16 suicide,17 and mortality.18-20 However, relatively little is known about the association between eating disorders and subsequent health problems among individuals in the general population.21 Nearly all of the population-based epidemiological studies of eating disorders and associated health problems have been cross-sectional investigations. Directional inferences cannot be made from cross-sectional data, and longitudinal research is needed to investigate whether individuals with eating disorders in the community are at an elevated risk for subsequent health problems. Because eating disorders often develop during adolescence,22 it is of particular interest to examine the long-term health outcomes associated with adolescent eating disorders.