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Meg was always the thinnest of her friends, but the idea of being thinner consumed her life as she silently suffered in a losing battle. When Meg, general studies sophomore, was 14 years old, a friend heard her vomiting in the bathroom, not just once but several times during the course of a few months.”She didn’t even talk to me about it,” Meg said. “She went straight to my mom, and it all got real at that point.”Meg, who wanted to conceal her identity, struggled with bulimia nervosa purging type for several months, and barely breaking 100 pounds, her mom forced her into counseling.”I never got intense treatment       because I was only eating and throwing up for eight months,” she said. “All my friends were naturally skinny, and I felt like I had to work for it.”Like Meg, 10 million females and 1 million males in the U.S. struggle with eating disorders, according to the National Eating Disorders Association. And nearly 20 percent of college-aged students admit to having an eating disorder.Today, more Americans are being hospitalized for eating disorders, according to an April 1 press release from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.Julie Hupperich, Student Health Center associate director, said eating disorders can begin at any age, but there are certain risk factors for college students.”There are additional pressures on them,” she said. “It’s just being under high stress, and an eating disorder is a coping mechanism.”Hupperich said stress will trigger a disorder, or symptoms will escalate during times of stress. She said certain students in subcategories on campus are at higher risk.”It’s been shown that particular majors are at risk, like dance majors and female athletes,” she said. “And Greek organizations seem to be at greater risks.”TYPES OF EATING DISORDERSAnorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder make up the three main types of eating disorders.Anorexia nervosa is a characterized by self-starvation and excessive weight loss, according to NEDA, while bulimia nervosa is a combination of overeating with compensatory behaviors like self-induced vomiting to undo the effects. Richard Shoop, Overeaters Anonymous of Baton Rouge volunteer, said binge eating disorder — or overeating — can start as early as childhood, stemming from abuse or other issues, but it is common among people in their 20s.”They use food when things are going bad,” he said. “It’s a comforting situation when people turn to food to make things seem better.”CAMPUS SURVEYLast spring, the Health Center polled University students on their nutrition and eating habits in an online survey.When asked if they were currently trying to change their weight, 53 percent of students said yes, while only 35 percent described themselves as slightly or very overweight.”This basically tells us more people are trying to lose weight, even though they don’t self identify as being overweight,” Hupperich said.Nearly 2 percent of University students have been diagnosed with bulimia, and more than 1 percent reported using vomiting or laxatives. More than 4 percent reported using diet pills.Within the past school year, 2 percent of University students were diagnosed with anorexia, but nearly 25 to 30 percent of University students show symptoms, according to the online survey.”Just because you haven’t been diagnosed doesn’t mean you’re not experiencing some symptoms,” Hupperich said.Anorexia symptoms include weight loss, hair loss and low blood pressure, which leads to fatigue and dizziness.”They may not have hair loss or extreme weight loss, but they can have gastro-intestinal problems if they’re using laxatives,” she said. “Purging by vomiting can lead to dental problems, and usually the dentists pick up that their teeth are being eroded by the acid.”PREVENTION AND HELPBecause eating disorders are usually a secretive and sensitive subject, students are encouraged to be as objective as possible when approaching a friend or family member suspected of having an eating disorder.”There definitely is going to be a great deal of denial,” Hupperich said. “You can intervene with them, and cite specific behavior.”The Health Center provides medical and diagnostic care, including laboratory work and X-ray imaging for eating disorder patients, plus access to a registered dietician, psychiatrist and primary care physician. The Health Center currently has 31 eating disorder patients in its program.”It’s very much a mental issue as much as it is a nutrition issue,” Hupperich said. “Occasionally, we have students who need to go to an in-treatment facility.”——Contact Leslie Presnall at [email protected]