A 2006 study conducted by the National Eating Disorders Association found that nearly one in five college students admitted to having suffered from an eating disorder. Despite this high number, though, few students ask for help.

Students' silence speaks to disordered thinking that characterizes the disease. "The nature of eating disorders ... is that there's a big period of denial," [Mary Commerford, director of Furman Counseling Center at Barnard] said. "Literally 'I'm doing this, it's normal, I don't have a problem.'" Source: Columbia (University) Spectator

Students who struggled with an eating disorder prior to college are especially at risk, because the added pressures of collegiate life make overcoming the disorders more difficult. Fear of their disorder becoming public also keeps many young disordered eaters from seeking help.

But getting help for an eating disorder can be as close as a confidential conversation with a counselor or an online discussion with an expert in the field. These simple steps can help a student get on the road to recovery and healthy living.

Labels: eating disorders, colleges, counseling, students

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Researchers at the Center for Sleep and Wake Disorders are studying a baffling eating disorder called "sleep-eating." Much like sleep-walking, sleep-eating sufferers are alert enough to respond to questions but are not aware that they binge-eat while asleep.

"During testing, researchers found one woman munching on brownies in her sleep. After each bite, she used her pinky to shove any remaining bits in her mouth... Another woman captured on tape gulped a soda after eating in her sleep."

Sleep experts believe sleep-eating is caused by a problem with the hypothalamus, the part of the brain that controls "basic behaviors."

Labels: brain_chemistry, binge_eating, sleep

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People who talk about eating disorders talk most often about disorders like anorexia and bulimia. But emotional eating disorders affect as many as 25-30% of Americans. And though the problem is often overlooked, the results can be just as devastating.

"When people eat for emotional reasons, they eat to manage and forget uncomfortable feelings, such as sadness, loneliness, grief, worthlessness, hopelessness, anger, anxiety, guilt and shame."

The problem is that eating to manage these emotions often just makes the emotions stronger. There are questions you can ask yourself, or a loved one, if you're concerned about an emotional eating issue. 

Labels: emotional eating

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Middle-schoolers in Santa Cruz, California recently learned something shocking; those picture-perfect images they see of models in magazines are "digitally enhanced". It's one of many lessons the group of girls is learning in an after-school class focused on teaching them the truth about the media while simultaneously helping them learn to eat healthy.

"The class seeks to boost girls' self-esteem and help them to make healthier choices. In addition to learning to critically examine media images of women, girls engaged in role-playing, art, discussions and yoga. They discussed healthy food choices and learned to distinguish when they were really hungry from when they were lonely or had some other need."

The class was developed at Harvard Medical School and is being called "one of the most promising and extensively researched eating disorder prevention programs..." Read more at SantaCruzSentinel.com.

Labels: media_influences, self-esteem, education

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The unrealistic standards of "beauty" that have been perpetuated by Hollywood and the media are part of what prompted Dove to create two programs: The Dove Self-Esteem Fund (DSEF) and the Campaign for Real Beauty.

The slogan of the Campaign for Real Beauty is "Imagine a World Where Beauty is a Source of Confidence, Not Anxiety."

"Through DSEF, Dove, along with the Girl Scouts of the USA, conduct self-esteem workshops and after school events for girls ages eight through 17. At these programs, girls participate in at least an hour-long educational program that teaches each of them about a positive self-image."

The workshops are partially funded through profits from the sale of Dove products. The Campaign for Real Beauty includes not only TV commercials, but on-line videos that show how images of models are manipulated to make them look "perfect".

The campaign has posted information, videos and more online at www.campaignforrealbeauty.com.

Labels: media_influences, self-esteem, self-image_issues

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Effective early treatment is paramount in a person's battle against anorexia, and the support of loved ones is a key part of that treatment. But friends and family members are often unsure of exactly how to be supportive.

"King's College London has begun a course to give carers necessary skills. The Collaborative Caring Course teaches the necessary skills to understanding eating disorders, such as anorexia and bulimia, and the consequential behavioral changes."

The free course is being run by Professor Janet Treasure of the Eating Disorder Research Unit, who hopes it will help family members not only to deal with the affects of eating disorders, but also to help encourage change in the sufferer. Source: BBC

Labels: treatment, support, behaviors

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In an effort to resist the negative impact that unhealthy media images are having on the self-esteem of young television viewers, the Spanish government has banned broadcasters from airing ads for cosmetic surgery, slimming products and beauty products before 10 p.m.

A March 9 article on the website www.plus-size-tall.com provided the following details about the legislation:

The law basically does not allow adverts that encourage over emphasis on body image and that have a negative impact on self worth. The original proposal included a ban on adverts for low calorie food but this was rejected.

The aim of this ban is to reduce the amount of teenagers affected by mental issues such as anorexia and bulimia. However, Spanish series on the TV also affect teenagers as they portray young skinny women who teenagers aspire too.

In Spain, success and good looks are firmly linked and as a result Spain produces the most amount of aesthetic surgeries in Europe. This has become known as "cult of the body."

Labels: media_influences, legislation

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Men and women are different is so many other ways, it may not come as a surprise that their responses to body image issues are different as well. In a study conducted by researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 222 women and 151 men were observed.

"'In a nutshell,' [Kristen] Harrison said, 'we found that, following exposure to ideal-body images, men who are insecure about their bodies eat more in front of other men, while women who are insecure about their bodies eat less in front of other women.'"

Though the differences in eating habits where slight, they came after less than 45 minutes of exposure to "ideal-body" images and text. Multiplied by the thousands of hours of exposure each year, there's potential for the development of serious eating disorders. Read more at ScienceDaily.com.

Labels: body image

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The old saying goes that "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure". That's especially true of serious illnesses like eating disorders. Learning to recognize the signs that a young person may be prone to developing an eating disorder can help avert a potentially deadly condition.

"The researchers [from University College Dublin] went back to look at data from the 2002 Health Behavior in School-Aged Children study involving 2,649 children. This showed that 32[percent] of the adolescents were underweight and, of this group, one in 10 'thought they were fat'."

The latter group, which also were more likely to choose a large silhouette as "mirroring" their body image, was identified as being at risk of developing an eating disorder.

This group was also generally more unhappy, more dissatisfied with life and more likely to perceive themselves as 'not good looking'.

Though they're general indicators, they can help identify a young person with self-image issues serious enough to lead to an eating disorder.
 

Labels: diagnosis, awareness, prevention

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An estimated ten of every 100 teenage girls struggles with either anorexia or bulimia. Despite widespread efforts by medical professionals, educators, and parents, this figure hasn’t changed much in the last several years.

In an article on theadvertiser.com, author Doreen Nagle discussed how learning to spot signs of an eating disorder can ensure that a teen gets much-needed help:

• Anorexia nervosa: A teen who is a perfectionist and super high achiever in school or other activities.
• With that said, [the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry] says that this teen likely has low self-esteem and irrationally believes herself to be overweight when she is clearly too thin.
• Seeking control over her life, anorexic teens find it in being able to say "No" to food. This lack of nutrition often leads to serious health disorders.
• In bulimia, the sufferer binges on foods (often high-calorie foods) and then purges by forcing herself to vomit or by using laxatives.
• Often, the bulimic will indulge in odd diets resulting in weight fluctuations.
• Self-induced purging is a serious concern since it robs the body of necessary nutrition, can damage organs and cause dehydration.

Labels: bulimia, signs_of_eating_disorders, anorexia

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