It is often thought that eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia are things that occur at a younger age, however, these demons still come out to play later in life, lingering into adulthood.

There are increasing amounts of middle-aged and older people who are coming forward to receive treatment for eating disorders that began in their youth and have been reignited by adult stresses and personal crises.

A lot of the individuals who are coming forward now previously had eating disorders that weren’t fully treated in their youth. This is leading to something happening later in life that stresses them to the point where the eating disorder then becomes reengaged.

According to an article in USA Today, the Renfrew Center, which has a chain of eating disorder clinics in the United States has seen a 42 percent increase in middle-aged female clients since 2001.

A study conducted by the University of Minnesota, which was published in the American Dietetic Association, stated that unhealthy eating patterns adopted in adolescence or teen years usually continue into adulthood. The study followed 2,287 children as they grew into young adults, and found that more than half of the girls who had unhealthy eating patterns continued to have them into their mid-to late 20’s.

There tends to be a lot of shame associated with eating disorders that occur or reoccur later in life. With this in mind, the Renfrew Center decided to create a separate treatment program for these women that is specifically tailored to their needs so they can get the appropriate help that they need.