Between insane class schedules, rough part-time jobs, struggles with social life, and this weird new thing called beng on your own, almost every student can find a source of stress to make their time in college harder than it has to be. Inability to cope with this stress that the college campus creates can lead to an eating disorder. You heard right. Models and ballet dancers are not the only ones that are at high risk for developing an eating disorder. Let me present you with some facts from the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders:
“91% of women surveyed on a college campus had attempted to control their weight through dieting. 22% dieted ‘often’ or ‘always.’”
“95% of those who have eating disorders are between the ages of 12 and 25.”
“25% of college‑aged women engage in bingeing and purging as a weight‑management technique.”
“The mortality rate associated with anorexia nervosa is 12 times higher than the death rate associated with all causes of death for females 15‑24 years old”
What is making these numbers so high for students? The answer lies in the crossover between the behaviors and characteristics an eating disorder develops from and those that college campuses, and we ourselves, idealize. People that are susceptible to eating disorders set high expectations for themselves, and are naturally perfectionist and competitive. Eating disorders create behaviors in a person such as denial of personal needs, excessive exercise, rigid schedules, withdrawal from social activities, and obsessiveness over food. Sound familiar? It should to the 16 billion college students going to school every year. A majority of young people today have grown up needing to know how to do it all, and how to do it all well. Our society places only the most exceptional people on display in our movies, television, and ads: the thinnest, the fittest, the smartest, the most successful, and the most charming of our population. The college arena is not excluded from this pressure. With college tuition numbers rising, students are expecting to get scholarships, and only the best of the bunch get those sweet deals. We are all now competing against the entire world of students out there: being just good isn’t good enough anymore.
The main eating disorders treated and talked about are Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, and Binge Eating Disorder. Anorexia Nervosa is characterized by restriction of food intake, an intense fear of gaining weight, and a distorted body image. Sufferers struggling with stress in their lives find a sense of control through the restriction of calories. Bulimia Nervosa also includes a disorted body image, but can entail vomiting or excessive exercise after eating, misuse of laxatives, binge episodes followed by fasting, and heavy use of dieting drugs as well. Those who don't restrict or purge their food, but do binge on food when under stress and feel a loss of control when they binge, suffer from a binge eating disorder. "Feelings of guilt and shame are highly prevalent in people with Binge Eating Disorder," according to the National Eating Disorder Collaboration. There is also a newly researched type of eating disorder called the Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified, or EDNOS. "People with EDNOS commonly present with extremely disturbed eating habits, a distorted body image and an intense fear of gaining weight," as the NEDC tells us. Each type of eating disorder are highly related to each other, feeding off the stress, lack of control, and perfectionism in a person.
Now, let's talk about how to spot, avoid, and live our lives without eating disorders.
In order to fight the problem of eating disorders, we must first now how to spot the warning signs, whether we see them in a friend or ourselves. The National Eating Disorder Collaboration tells us that those suffering from an eating disorder might experience rapid weight gain or loss, frequent dizziness or fainting, obsession with and talk of food and body perception, low energy levels, puffy cheeks due to vomiting, and a reduction of social activity. If anyone close to you is exhibiting restrictive or uncomfortable behaviors around food, or seems to be struggling with body perception, it may be time to help them. Helping a friend with an eating disorder can be a tricky thing. I first started my struggle with Anorexia when I was 12 years old, and at the time, my disorder tricked me into thinking everyone who was trying to help me was really just trying to hurt me. You don't have to be your friend's therapist, just let them know that they are supported and you think that some of their behaviors are endangering them. If you are experiencing troubled thoughts or behaviors toward food, find help. It is out there. Find your school's counseling center, a trusted professor, or an outside therapist or psychologist to talk to. The hardest thing for me with my eating disorder was admitting that I can't handle it on my own. Going through college is rough for many, and there is no shame in needing help for one of the most important factors in life, eating.
