Treatment is something that is clearly difficult for many eating disordered people to obtain, with only 1 in 10 sufferers being assisted. This is a result of many things, but the foremost is lack of funds. The average cost of inpatient treatment of an eating disorder is $30,000 a month. While this is certainly a high cost, it is usually a matter of life or death. Insurance companies refuse to cover even a fraction of these costs, and cut payments altogether once a patient shows signs of physical improvement (bear in mind that an eating disorder is a mental disorder). Despite this being the sad reality, 3 out of 4 people believe that insurance companies should cover the cost of recovery just like any other harmful psychiatric disease.
I believe this lack of access to proper treatment for the vast majority of afflicted individuals is a large factor in the high death rates of this crippling disease.
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