In the past 25 years, the dress size of the average Miss America contestant has gone from a 10/12 to a 4/6, according to Violet Robért, clinical social worker with the University’s mental health service. With increasing social pressure to stay thin, some people can find themselves developing an eating disorder.
   
Eating Disorders
in College
One such person is Morgan, a University freshman who has been bulimic since the age of 12. She chooses to remain anonymous for privacy reasons.
   Morgan is not alone. According to information compiled by the Alliance for Eating Disorders Awareness (AEDA), as much as 19 percent of college-aged women are bulimic.
   ”Bulimia is extremely rampant on college campuses as well as in sorority houses,” said the Web site of the AEDA, www.eatingdisorderinfo.org.
Bulimia Nervosa is a disorder in which an individual engages in episodes of bingeing, eating large amounts of food at once, and purging. Morgan said she began purging after eating too much on a cruise and felt uncomfortable.
“I didn’t want to get fat. I figured that would be an easy way to solve it,” said Morgan about the root of her bulimia.
The effects of constant binging and purging can be hard on a person’s body.
According to the AEDA, bulimics may experience a constant sore throat caused by stomach acid, tooth decay and even poor impulse control like drug use or over-spending.
Contrary to popular belief, an eating disorder is not solely based on food, according to the AEDA. There can be a number of underlying issues causing the disorder.
“Basically, eating disorders are a lousy way to cope,” said Robért.
Loss of control, anxiety and guilt are some of the many possible causes, according to the AEDA. Feeling guilty about eating can sometimes lead someone to over-exercise. This can lead to exercise bulimia, using excessive exercise as a method of purging calories.
Morgan wanted to make it clear that bulimics rarely lose weight by purging.
Body image, how a person sees himself is crucial concerning eating disorders.
“Somehow, a person with an eating disorder has gotten the message that they are not a satisfactory person,” said Robért. “So, they go out on a quest to [change themselves], and of course, the easiest way to alter yourself is through your body.”
Anorexia nervosa is defined as self-imposed starvation as a result of a distorted body image. Unlike bulimic individuals, those with anorexia are often underweight. This can cause shrunken organs, kidney disease, memory loss, muscle deterioration and even death.
On the opposite end of the spectrum is binge eating. According to the AEDA, binge eating is “recurrent episodes of binge eating without the purging behavior of bulimia.”
Robért said binge eating is not an eating disorder, but is instead classified as “disordered eating.” According to information she provided, disordered eating refers to troublesome eating behaviors that do not meet the full criteria of an eating disorder.
According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders — 4th edition (DSM-IV), the onset of binge eating disorders occurs during late adolescence or in the early 20s.
“In someone who’s overeating constantly, we look at depression, we look at anxiety,” said Robért. “Someone has learned that food can soothe them.”
According to AEDA, the DSM-IV also says that men constitute as much as 40 percent of those with binge eating disorders.
Men and Eating Disorders
According to a 1994 issue of Newsweek magazine, a study by Cornell University found 40 percent of male football players engaged in some form of disordered eating.
  Daniel Johns, the lead singer of Australian rock group Silverchair, suffered from anorexia. He wrote a song about his struggle with anorexia, “Ana’s Song”, on the band’s 1999 album, “Neon Ballroom”.   
  ””It was never about my body, because I always … I was always embarrassed about being skinny,” said Johns in a June 1999 interview with MTV. “Every time, I guess, I felt that my life was out of control and it was kind of out of my hands, I couldn’t do anything about it, I guess I took control of food intake, because it was the only thing that no one could really take charge of.”            
Robért said that males with eating disorders are often very regimented when it come to their eating habits. She says they may view it as a discipline issue.
Athletes and Eating Disorders
A 1994 issue of Newsweek revealed a study by Cornell University found 40 percent of male football players engaged in some sort of disordered eating.
Robért said athletes are susceptible to eating disorders because of the constant pressure to perform better.
“I treated a former Olympian whose trainer told her that if she lost some weight, she’d be faster. Then she got it in her head that [if she lost even more weight, she would be faster still],” said Robért. “But, your body can’t maintain itself, and your time will actually slow.”
           
Intervention
It often takes a friend or loved one to step in for a person suffering from an eating disorder to seek help.
“In most cases, it’s not the client that says they have an eating disorder,” said Robért. “Usually, there is an intervention from the outside in one way or another.”
Signs of an eating disorder include preoccupation with weight, distorted body image, exhaustion, dramatic mood swings and the wearing of very loose clothing, according to the AEDA.
According to information provided by Robért, approaching someone with an eating
disorder should be done carefully. It is important to be educated about eating disorders before trying to approach someone.
  “I once had a really good friend say to me when I asked to stop for food, ‘Why? You’re just going to throw it up anyway.'” said Morgan. “I
just wanted to hit her in the face.”
Robért says an individual with an eating disorder will often deny that they have a problem. This can make it difficult to help them seek professional help.
 
Treatment
An eating disorder is a very serious condition often resulting in major health risks and in some cases even death if the disorder goes untreated.
According to The National Association of Anorexia & Associated Eating Disorders Web site, www.anad.org , the mortality rate for anorexia is higher than any other psychological disorder.
If you or someone you know is suffering from an eating disorder, professional help is available.
A typical course of treatment involves counseling and sometimes hospitalization. Patients undergo physical examinations by a physician and usually are counseled by a licensed therapist or psychiatrist.
Clinics such as the Menninger Clinic in Houston, Texas offer a variety of treatments for patients.
According to the Menninger Clinic Web site, www.menningerclinic.com, the clinic offers a “patient-centered service and an experienced and qualified staff.”
The Menninger Clinc treatments range from anorexia nervosa to bulimia to binge eating and complusive exercise. It is assocated with The Methodist Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine.
Costs for such centers can vary, depending upon length of time and course of treatment. Insurance often covers some or most of the costs assocated with hospitalization.
University students suffering from eating disorders can seek support, guidance and medical attention at the Student Health Center.
For more information about eating disorders and disordered eating, students should consult the AEDA Web site at www.eatingdisorderinfo.org.