Imagine finding your sister passed out on the floor. Imagine being told that your sister was going to be sent to a “special hospital.” Imagine missing your sister so much that you didn't want to wake up on your own birthday. This is what happened to eight-year-old Emily Moore. An estimated eight million Americans suffer from an eating disorder – seven million women and one million men (Stern). An eating disorder is an obsession with food and weight that harms a person's well-being (Ciotola). Eating disorders aren't just about dieting and losing a few pounds, they're a disease. Some of the most common eating disorders are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. One solution to eating disorders is to educate students about eating disorders and the importance of taking good care of themselves. Eating disorders are a problem because people can die from them. They affect the person both physically and mentally and recovery takes a long time. In fact, a study by the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders reported that only thirty to forty percent of anorexics make a full recovery (Levine and Maine). A person with an eating disorder considers themselves overweight, even if it's just skin and bones. Eating disorders mainly affect adolescents. Ninety-five percent of those who suffer from eating disorders are between the ages of 12 and 25 (Stern). Fifty percent of girls aged 11 to 13 consider themselves overweight (Levine and Maine). Anorexia is the third most common chronic illness among adolescents (Ciotola). The first step to take is to teach children everything about eating disorders. Education, knowledge, and consequences are key to understanding this disease. Eating disorders can often...... middle of document ......me=bela83282&version=1.0>.3. Sohn, Emilie. “Anorexia may have a biological basis.” The cause: anorexia. Ed. Karen F. Balkin. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2005. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale of wind. Harford Technical High School - MD. March 25, 2010 .4. Stern, Leonard. “Society’s unhealthy obsession with thinness.” Companion to Contemporary Problems: Eating Disorders. Ed. Shasta Gaughen. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2004. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale of wind. Harford Technical High School - MD. March 25. 2010 .