he incidence of anorexia nervosa among adolescents in the United States, however, is increasing (Felker & Stivers, 1994, p. 821). An increase in the risk of developing anorexia nervosa also exists among first-degree biological relatives of anorexics (American Psychiatric Association, p. 543).
Anorexia nervosa is more prevalent in the United States than in any other country (American Psychiatric Association, p. 542). Anorexia nervosa is also a relatively common occurrence in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. In the United States, estimates of the number of persons suffering from anorexia nervosa range as high as two-million. By contrast, the number of cases in the United Kingdom is estimated at only 70,000. If the proportion of anorexics in the population were the same in the United States as that in the United Kingdom, the number of anorexics in the United States would number less than 300,000.
While females account for the great majority of anorexics in all societies where the condition is relativel
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