Eating disorders affect many collegiates’ lives

Eating disorders affect many collegiates’ lives

By Susan Ward

In a recent TV interview, actress Tracy Gold recounted her
battle with anorexia nervosa, an eating disorder. Several years
ago, singer Karen Carpenter died from the same disease.

Some people believe eating disorders are less common than they
used to be. Glamour magazine recently conducted a poll and
overwhelmingly, today’s readers are happier about their bodies than
readers polled 10 years ago. In spite of this shift, eating
disorders are still quite prevalent in certain populations,
especially college students.

Other high risk groups include women of all ages, gay men, male
and female athletes, people involved in the performing arts and
models. A 1986 study of UCLA female students reported that 25
percent of the respondents admitted feeling terrified of being fat
and felt fat despite others’ perceptions.

The incidence of eating disorders is difficult to document
because many individuals display the behaviors of eating disorders
but do not fill all of the diagnostic criteria. The symptoms of
eating disorders are usually not obvious until the problem has
created some serious medical risks. On average, people have eating
disorders several years before professional help is sought. It is
estimated, however, that bulimia occurs in up to 10 percent of the
general population and anorexia occurs in approximately 1
percent.

Eating disorders are a group of complex psychological and
behavioral disorders which usually occurs during periods of
physical and/or psychological growth or change. The anxiety
produced during these periods is sometimes dealt with through
abnormal eating behaviors and dieting. But the influence of
sociocultural standards of being thin cannot be underestimated. For
example, according to Harvard Women’s Health Watch newsletter,
Finnish researchers have reported that department-store mannequins
modeling women’s clothing used to represent the statistical average
female form. Modern mannequins, brought to life, would be too thin
to menstruate.

Although there are several kinds of eating disorders, two of the
most widely known are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.
Anorexia nervosa is self-imposed starvation. Individuals with
anorexia are relatively easy to identify due to their emaciated
bodies. They refuse to maintain a normal body weight and have a
severe distortion of their bodies. They maintain an extreme fear of
gaining weight and in clinically diagnosable cases, menstruation
will be absent. It takes some time for an individual to reach this
level of the disorder, but certain behaviors may indicate anorexia
nervosa early on. These include purposely avoiding eating
situations, playing with or hoarding food but not eating,
maintaining rigid eating patterns, frequently weighing oneself,
excessive exercise and complaining of coldness and wearing many
layers of bulky, loose clothing.

Bulimia nervosa is more difficult to identify because a person
with the problem may be of normal weight, underweight or
overweight. They engage in recurring episodes of binge eating and
some form of purging such as laxatives, induced vomiting,
diuretics, fasting, or excessive exercise. There are also
behavioral patterns that may indicate bulimia, such as disappearing
into the bathroom after eating, hearing the sounds of vomiting or
noticing the smell of vomit, swollen neck and/or finding packages
of laxatives and/or diuretics in the trash. Scarring on the top of
the hand due to teeth scraping against the hand during vomiting is
also common. The person may also have a puffy face, red eyes, bad
breathe and teeth problems.

In her clinical experience, Dr. Carol Otis of UCLA Student
Health Services has seen that "most women want to be 2 to 10 pounds
thinner than they are and thinner than they should be. This
excessive concern can lead to excessive dieting and low
self-esteem."

According to Laima Wesson, nutritionist in Student Health
Services, the most psychologically damaging effects of eating
disorders is isolation, loneliness and despair. A consequence of
their emotional isolation is avoiding social gatherings where food
is involved or leaving social gatherings to purge.

Because college is a social setting, these isolating effects can
be magnified. "We know that they are out there, but we need to
reach them. Until a person is motivated to deal with the problem,
there is usually very little anyone can do because people cannot be
legally forced into treatment since most college students are at
least 18 years old," Wesson said.

Confronting a person who may have an eating disorder can be
awkward, but the confrontation often motivates them to get help.
Wesson suggests nonjudgmental statements. For example, "I noticed
that after meals, you go to the bathroom and I can hear you
vomiting. I’m concerned about you. How can I help?"

Eating disorders are treatable with proper intervention. This
includes medical evaluation, nutritional guidance and counseling.
Therapy is the core of treatment, since an understanding of the
issues that lead to the behavior are important. Learning to manage
feelings, improving self-esteem and improving personal
relationships are very important, according to Wesson. "The
majority of individuals can be successfully treated," she
added.

Help is available on campus. Student Psychological Services sees
students for eating disorders. Call 825-4073 to make an
appointment, and see the nutritionist by calling 825-3746.
Neuropsychiatric Institute has an outpatient eating disorders
clinic. Call 825-0478 for more information.

Ward is a graduate student in the School of Public Health and a
staff member in Student Health Services.