This week is National Eating Disorders Awareness Week and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee is dedicated to bringing awareness about this troubling disease that affects more college students than one might imagine.

Millions of Americans are diagnosed annually with eating disorders. According to a study done by the Renfrew Center Foundation, 95 percent of those who suffer from an eating disorder are between the ages of 12 and 25.

Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness, and the death rate associated with anorexia nervosa is 12 times higher than all other causes of death for females 15 to 24 years old.

The Renfrew Center identifies two main types of eating disorders, though many people do not fall into one specific category.

Anorexia nervosa is characterized by an intentional loss of a substantial amount of one’s body weight, accomplished through severe dieting or purging.

Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder that involves the rapid consumption of large amounts of food. Those who are bulimic then attempt to rid their bodies of the food by vomiting, taking laxatives, exercising or fasting.

Rachel Quast, president and founder of Self Healing through Education (SHED) — 9shed.com, a Web site that educates people about eating disorders — believes that several issues may contribute to the development of eating disorders.

“Sometimes people just want to blame the media, and if that’s the case, we all would have eating disorders. The biology, personality and family of a person are also components,” Quast said.

Quast believes the media sets up unrealistic ideals and enforces overly restrictive standards for body image.

“No matter where you go, the images are everywhere. The models and clothes are all a specific type, so it sets standards to be really thin,” Quast said.

Quast said that the best way to resist the pressure of media influence is to cultivate a strong sense of self-esteem and an awareness of how the media alters images to create a sense of perfect body.

Quast reported that a model for Cosmopolitan said they added two inches to the length of her legs and took inches off her inner thighs by airbrushing her photo.

“The reality is, no one looks like that,” Quast said.

JoAnne Graham, senior psychologist at Norris Health Center, agrees that the problems associated with eating disorders are multifaceted.

“The psychological component often involves developing an eating disorder as a way of coping with emotions and problems,” Graham said. “Generally, there’re issues with self-esteem and self-worth, because the media puts more pressure on people and makes them struggle with self-worth in a way it may not have 10 years ago.”

Quast suggests that people do not wait to get treatment if they anticipate problems with eating disorders.

“I beg and urge people not to wait until it gets severe,” Quast said. “People don’t automatically dislike their body for no reason; it started somewhere and often begins with disliking and not seeing value in yourself as who you are.”

On Thursday, March 2, UWM will host eating disorder screenings, which will include an information booth and a number of professionals ranging from psychiatrists to dieticians. A short questionnaire will be available for students who have or feel they could develop an eating disorder. The process will take about 10 minutes.

“A professional on hand will score (the questionnaire) and have a brief, private consult about the results and some of their concerns,” Graham said. “Often, people just want a starting point, and this seems the least threatening.”

> Comments