Why didn't the treatment center/therapist work?

Different forms of treatment are used to help sufferers, and one form may work for one person, but not work for you or your friend or loved one. Just because one center or therapist, or even two or three, didn't help someone become recovered overtime does not mean that they are incurable or "hopeless." Look into and try different treatment methods and find one that is right for you or the person you know. I have to mention here that I've noticed a frightening amount of hospitals use this gig called the "reward/punishment system," and personally, I'm completely against it. Basically with this system if you don't eat or purge, you have something you enjoy, like visitors, a TV, a radio, etc., taken away from you for a period of time, or you don't get these "privileges" back until you start eating again or gain weight. More than anything this kind of system causes someone to end up further entrenched within the eating disorder mind-set because a sufferer already feels that they do not deserve anything, so taking things away from them only continues to tell them that they are unworthy.

It seems that eating disorders primarily show up only in girls who are in their teens or 20's...

Eh, that's what society likes to portray. On the majority of talk shows or articles featuring on eating disorders, that's all that is shown -- teenage or 20-something girls. However, MEN also suffer. I've come in contact with 4 men who are going through their own battles with bulimia and anorexia. Most male cases, though, are not recognized because those who suffer are often afraid to come forward due to the fact that the ignorant people out there will label them gay or wusses. So, many stay in hiding. It's not just us kiddies that become afflicted, either. Eating disorders can strike an older woman or man during a bad marriage, a divorce, family problems, etc., or they have been afflicted with an eating disorder for a long time and are still afflicted with one. Eating disorders also show up in the elderly, as depression can strike and lead to something like anorexia.

Why do I get depressed for no reason? Does this have anything to do with the eating disorder?

Oh boy, YES. The restriction of calories or purging really messes up the hormonal and chemical balances (seratonin and blood sugar levels, for example) that are in the body, which, once upset and unblanaced, can cause someone to fly in and out of mood swings. An anti-depressant can help and take the "edge" off of this. If you notice that the mood swings are severe and long-lasting, though, I would talk to someone about getting looked into for bipolar disorder.

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