Eating disorders dangerous, hidden problem

Jennifer Loucks

Though some try to hide it and disguise the truth, it’s no secret that eating disorders can damage lives and relationships.

“There are no statistics on eating disorders among Washburn students because no one wants to admit to having that problem,” said April Stos, psychology major.

While the mental health services and the psychology department can refer individuals seeking help to a trained professional, Washburn does not have a trained specialist on campus to treat eating disorders.

In late February, the psychology department set up an eating disorder booth with surveys for students to fill out.

“The 20 people who stopped by and did so were asked a series of questions and then given a particular score at the end of it,” said Stos.

The two most common types of eating disorders are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Anorexia nervosa is characterized by a refusal to maintain a minimally normal body weight, whereas bulimia nervosa is characterized by repeated episodes of binge eating, followed by compensatory behaviors such as self-induced vomiting, misuse of laxatives, diuretics or other medications, as well as excessive exercising.

There are several ways to tell if a person might have an eating disorder. These include a change in weight, lots of secrecy, such as wearing baggy clothing to hide his or her body, reluctance to eat in public, a consistent practice of visiting the restroom after meals and mental fatigue. In extreme cases, the body sprouts a downy layer of hair to provide insulation in the absence of fat.

People with these eating disorders, 90 percent of whom are female, get to this point for several reasons.

“Preteens to early 20s are at high risk for developing anorexia,” said Dave Provorse, chair of the psychology department.” Some of them buy into the media’s obsession with thinness, but then there are also a high number who engage in this behavior because other problems are at the root of this eating disorder.”

He added that the majority of these people are high achieving, driven, self-disciplined individuals who feel outside pressure to perform or be perfect. The only part of their life they can truly control is the food they choose to consume.

At the national level, overeating is considered a more severe issue, but by psychological standards, it is not considered an eating disorder.

“For every one person diagnosed with an eating disorder, there are 100 people overweight,” said Provorse.

While a majority of sufferers are female, males are not exempt. In fact, the psychiatric profession has been trying to legitimize a new disorder called male body dismorphic disorder. This occurs when a man spends a majority of his time participating in excessive exercising activities.

Whether the individual is male or female; anorexic, bulimic, or dismorphic, the situation is not hopeless. Provorse recommends that friends and family first should not be reluctant to bring up the topic with a person.

“When talking to someone who may possibly have an eating disorder, it is important to not be confrontational,” said Provorse. “Taking an ‘I’m worried about you’ [approach] is the best way to proceed.”

The next step is to encourage an individual to contact a licensed therapist or physician, who can fully understand his or her psychological disorder. In worst-case scenarios, family members or friends should contact a professional themselves.

Treatment is often very specialized and intense.

“We need to remind ourselves that this is a serious, life-threatening issue,” said Provorse, “If someone is good at it, they will die.”