By Kathryn Garcia staff reporter Four of every 100 college women have bulimia. According to the Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating Disorders Web site (www.anred.com), there are many different types of eating disorders. The most common are anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder and anorexia athletica. There are several other lesser-known disorders as well. Anorexia is defined as a person starving him or herself, while bulimia occurs when a person diets, binges and then purges. Binge eating disorder occurs when a person eats uncontrollably, and anorexia althletica occurs when a person exercises excessively. Monica Kintigh, a licensed professional counselor at the Counseling Center, said today's culture plays a role in the high incidence of eating disorders.
"It's more about control," Kintigh said. "They use food as a way to control their lives. It gives them a sense of power. They think, 'I have more control because I can control my food and body's appearance.'" References to disorders similar to anorexia and bulimia can be found in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics and early Chinese dynasty scrolls. Ancient Romans, after large meals, would go to a chamber called a vomitorium to throw up, so that they may return to their feasting. The first description of an anorexic patient in medical literature was made by Richard Morton in London in 1689. He described the condition as, "a skeleton clad only with skin." At that time, anorexia was thought to be a form of tuberculosis. Today clinicians say anorexia is both a physical and psychological disorder. Emily Haeussler, a registered and licensed dietitian and nutrition therapist, said there are several different ways of treating an eating disorder depending on the severity of the patient. Because every case has individual characteristics, Haeussler said there is no set treatment for eating disorders. According to the ANRED Web site, many different approaches are used to treat eating disorders, including hospitalization, medication, dental work, individual counseling, group counseling, family counseling, nutrition counseling and support groups.
They provide a referral list with numbers for outpatient counseling, dietitians, local support groups, eating disorder therapy groups, psychiatrists and national organizations. Haeussler, one of the dietitians on the referral list given by the Counseling Center, said she considers several factors when working with patients. "I work with you about weight issues and together we determine the next step," she said. "The person with the eating disorder and I make changes at a pace that is comfortable and realistic to them." Haeussler said she also works with a psychotherapist when treating her patients so that she may focus on the nutrition therapy to teach them healthy ways to eat, while the psychotherapist works on the emotional aspects. Prevention is an approach that many, including residence hall staffs, take to combat eating disorders. Kara Steffen, the hall director for Colby Hall, said she and the RAs try to focus at least one of the four All-Hall meetings during the fall semester on healthy eating and avoiding eating disorders. "Our most visible bulletin board right now is all about the different signs and symptoms of eating disorders," Steffen said. The Colby Hall staff also refers inquiring residents to places with a more professional background where they can receive the best treatment possible, she said. "It's sad, but true," Steffen said. "It is one of those silent epidemics that is more common than you'd ever want it to be."
VanBeber said people with anorexia will experience fatigue and become malnourished because they are eating such few calories . "Because you are not getting enough fat, your hair might not be as shiny, nails might be thinner and your skin may become dryer," she said. With bulimia, VanBeber said, the tissues in the esophagus, mouth and anal area will wear away because the person forces him or herself to throw up or takes laxatives. "Also they experience tooth decay because of the acid in the vomit," she said. "They become very dehydrated, as well." Kintigh said many students with anorexia die of cardiac arrest and not of starvation. "As they are losing body fat outside, they lose it inside, too," she said. "They lose the fat around the heart and the brain. Once they have lost the body fat, they lose the muscle tissue." Muscles, including the heart, need protein to work well. Anorexics don't eat enough to get adequate protein, Kintigh said. Haeussler said last year she saw about 25 TCU students regarding eating disorders. "I think there is a high percentage (of students at TCU) that are overly concerned about food and weight, most of which do not have eating disorders but do overly exercise," Haeussler said. Kintigh said the average number of students with eating disorders at TCU is no higher than at any other university. Steffen said that at the residence halls they definitely see more residents than they would want to see with eating disorders. "But one student is one too many," she said.
Imagine you're running. Like in a dream, you are being chased by something unknown. Too afraid to turn around and face it, you continue. The pace quickens, and you start to become exhausted and finally decide to confront what it is that is following you. However, when you turn around, you realize that whole time, all you were running from was yourself. This is what it feels like to have an eating disorder. You are trapped by your mind: a mind that has removed you so completely from what is real, that often you would rather cling to this never ending chase than return to what you knew before. What is it that possesses so many women each year to fall into this pit? Many women with eating disorders start off by dieting. This situation snowballs until it is life-consuming. There is no room for anything else in an anorexic or bulimic's life because each day is filled with planning everything that will enter his or her body. Planning for that tic-tac at lunch or that after-dinner purge. At this point, if you have never had an eating disorder before, you are probably grimacing. But to those of you who have, while you may remember this time in an overall negative light, no matter how long ago it was, a sense of comfort probably comes to mind. Why? Because this is when you had control. A major aspect of a typical eating disorder is the desire for control, a desire that an eating disorder often temporarily fulfills. Look around at the world. So many things happen that you have no control over. A 'D' on that test you really studied for, a flat tire or a break-up. However, no one can make you eat. You control what goes in and out of your body and, to some people, this is comforting. However, many women often die for this control and unless they are plucked from the grips of their eating disorder, they will cling to it for as long as possible, similar to the way a toddler holds dearly to his blanket: Both represent comfort and predictability. So I pose the question again: What is it that forces these people over the edge? I say society is the prime culprit, followed by each individual's situation. When following the progression of society, in relation to that of eating disorders, a direct correlation can be seen. As society's physical expectations have risen, so have the incidents of anorexia and bulimia. Everywhere a woman turns, she is given the message that thinner is better, and she is fed these images from her first memories. Think Jasmine, Cinderella and Ariel not a realistic one in the bunch. And then there is Barbie, whose measurements have repeatedly been proven to be humanly impossible to achieve. So, as our little girls grow up, they flip through Teen and are bombarded by the bodies of models who are 5'10" and weigh 100 pounds. Their minds slowly become warped, and as the boys are still out living it up playing junior high soccer and Pop Warner football, the girls decide to go on a diet. A diet that lasts years, until they end up running in that same nightmare shared by bulimics and anorexics everywhere. So how do we put an end to eating disorders? I think an end is unobtainable. However, I do think that the situation can be improved by fostering self-assurance and self-worth in young girls. Middle schools and junior highs often tend to overlook the mental health of their students when most of children's attitudes and perceptions are being heavily influenced during this time. By encouraging these girls, maybe they will start a revolution in society and its expectations on females. Maybe not, but at least they will have been taught to realize that Barbie is just a toy and not an aspiration. (I acknowledge that males also fall victim to eating disorders, as well. However, I chose to address the population in which its effects are more widespread.)
Melanie N. Winchester is a sophomore biology
major from San Diego. |
Another factor that contributes to eating disorders is a
sense of control, she said.
Students can receive a few of the counseling
treatments at the TCU Counseling Center, Kintigh said. Most of the time
though, they are referred to outside groups.
Anne VanBeber, an associate professor and
chair of the nutrition and dietetics department, said the physical effects
of eating disorders are much more dangerous than people realize and range
from the obvious to the obscure.| The TCU Daily Skiff © 1998, 1999 Credits |