[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 2]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 2093]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                NATIONAL EATING DISORDER AWARENESS WEEK

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                           HON. JUDY BIGGERT

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, February 26, 2010

  Mrs. BIGGERT. Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition and support 
of National Eating Disorder Awareness Week.
  Approximately five to ten million Americans, both women and men, 
suffer from anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating 
disorders. Not only do these mental illnesses have serious physical 
consequences, they also present substantive obstacles to students' 
educational achievement: 86% of affected individuals develop their 
eating disorders before age 20.
  On behalf of my constituents who have been personally affected by 
these illnesses as well as struggling young women and men nationwide, I 
introduced H. Res. 7 on January 9, 2009. H. Res. 7 will raise public 
awareness of eating afflictions, expand research for treatment and 
cures to end the suffering of millions of Americans, broaden access to 
treatment, and promote healthful eating habits and healthy body image.
  It is critical that we use this week as an opportunity to address 
this national tragedy. It's not just teenagers using whatever means 
necessary to achieve an ideal body image, it is a mental illness that 
requires treatment and compassion. I encourage my colleges to join me 
in recognizing the severity of eating disorders affecting millions of 
adolescent Americans, and beseech Congress to continue to expand 
funding for research and treatment as well as awareness of these 
diseases that plague the lives our young people.

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