Though they don't all struggle with an eating disorder, several Dartmouth students gathered to discuss the thing they do have in common - mental illness. In a meeting designed to share stories and help others get help, five Dartmouth students discussed their battles with depression, self-mutilation, and eating disorders.

"Bailey Massey '08, who suffered from an eating disorder, said her problem did not originate from the media but rather from her mother."

The students also offered hope, as they shared stories of overcoming their illnesses. One of their goals is to assure other who struggle eating disorders and similar illnesses that they’re not alone. Read more at TheDartmouth.com.

The organizers of New York's fashion week have taken some preventative measures, hoping to address the eating disorder issues that have thrust the fashion world into an unusual global spotlight. Madrid set the tone last fall when it banned models whose Body Mass Index was below a certain number.

"Ultra-thin models have not been banned outright from the big New York shows, but the Council of Fashion Designers of America will host a public forum Feb. 5 to discuss the problems involved."

Backstage at the fashion show, healthy meals and snacks will be served, and smoking and alcohol will be prohibited. Models diagnosed with eating disorders will only be allowed to continue their work with a doctor's approval. Read more at dfw.com.

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. Read more online.

In an attempt to defend her industry, fashion model Gisele Bundchen recently released a statement that said, in effect, that eating disorders are caused by unsupportive families. An outraged medical community is speaking out against her reckless comments.

"Misstatement and ignorance claiming that families 'cause' eating disorders is like blaming parents for diabetes or asthma or cancer say an international group of eating disorders researchers."

Eating disorders are complex, and are caused by much more than just a desire to be thin. Though societal pressures can play a part, they are not the primary cause. Read more online.

Tammy Nelson, a psychotherapist, has written a book titled "What's Eating You?", in an effort to reach out to girls with eating disorders. Nelson treats girls with eating disorders, and often includes parents in the initial therapy sessions.

"Treating the emotional aspects of eating disorders is part of the cure. Teaching kids how to eat right forever is the key part, Nelson said."

The book is available through Amazon.com. Read more at NewsTimesLive.com.

COPPER CANYON ACADMEY is an all girls school in Rimrock, Arizona. COPPER CANYON ACADEMY offers an extremely comprehensive therapeutic program for girls and their families through individual, group, and animal therapy. There are also parent seminars and family workshops. All of the therapists who work with the teenage girls and their families at COPPER CANYON ACADEMY are licensed by the Arizona Board of Behavioral Health Services

On Friday, the Council of Fashion Designers of America released a list of recommendations intended to promote and improve good health in the fashion industry. The panel included a nutritionist and a personal trainer.

"The guidelines were issued three weeks before designers start showcasing their fall collections during New York’s Fashion Week..."

The one thing missing from the recommendations was a suggested Body Mass Index. Read more online.

It's a little-known and rarely-diagnosed eating disorder called "orthorexia". It's characterized by an obsession with health and dieting that causes someone to extremely limit the food he or she eats.

"Sufferers cobble together their own pseudo-food-sciences based on popular dieting fads, public health scares and new medical studies. Some are so strict they become anorexic and emaciated."

The disorder often has it's beginnings in a person's innocent and genuine efforts be healthy. Over time, however, the person becomes obsessed and his or her life is overwhelmed by thoughts of food. Read more at Tennessean.com.

If you have a troubled teenager with emotional and/or behavioral problems that healthcare providers are having trouble diagnosing, then the Aspen Institute for Behavioral Assessment can help. The Aspen Institute is the premiere adolescent residential treatment facility to deliver specific and actionable recommendations regarding the best possible treatment. Learn more at www.aspenassessment.com.

As a child, Deb Sweetapple watched her mother suffer, and eventually die, from eating disorders. It has since become her personal mission to educate people on the severe damage caused, and alternative treatments possible, for eating disorders.

"As she grew older, Sweetapple began researching her mother's condition to help find a cure. She learned of a clinic in Canada where anorexia/bulimia sufferers are treated with caring and patience. The staff took responsibility for their patients' eating and helped them listen to their own bodies to learn when they are truly hungry."

Sweetapple now travels, sharing her story and newfound information with people who struggle with eating disorders, and with their friends and family. Read more online.

The Academy for Eating Disorders has called for the fashion industry and the government to agree to industry standards for fashion models.

"'These guidelines will help the industry take responsibility for the health and wellbeing of models,' state Dr. Eric van Furth, AED President... 'Recent tragic deaths highlight the urgent need for industry regulations,' he says."

Recommended regulations include age limits for models, Body Mass Index minimum requirements, and the use - on the runway and in print - of models of various shapes and sizes. Read more at NewsWise.com.

In the coming year, about 1 out of every 100 people who develop an eating disorder will be men. But the disorder may not be properly diagnosed. A young man in California has struggled with anorexia since he was sixteen. But because he's male, the disorder wasn't immediately diagnosed.

"'There was very much a need for the doctors to find a physical reason for my weight loss,' [Adam Sunderland] said. 'My mother took me to doctors at 16 years old but anorexia never popped into their heads because I was male. I was tested for cancer, diabetes, brain tumors, everything.'"

Eventually, Adam was properly diagnosed and began receiving the proper counseling and treatment. He's now back to his ideal weight and is learning to appreciate his own body. Read more at DailyBulletin.com.

In just a few short weeks, the Miss America Pageant will be held in Las Vegas. Among the hopeful competitors is Allison Kreiger, Miss Florida. Whether she is crowned Miss America or not, the pageant itself is a significant achievement.

"While in high school, she was diagnosed with bulimia. At one point she stopped eating completely and weighed 35 pounds less than she should have... 'This was my goal, just to be able to compete in the Miss America Pageant, so when I walk across that stage I have truly come full circle.'"

Allison doesn't point to the Miss Florida or Miss America Pageants as the cause her eating disorder, but rather as "the light at the end of my tunnel when I was going through treatment." Read more at SeminoleHerald.com.

A University of Minnesota study has found that girls who read magazine articles about dieting are more likely to develop eating disorders. The study tracked over 2,500 middle school students for five years, asking about the types of articles they read.

"Girls in middle school who read dieting articles were twice as likely five years later to try to lose weight by fasting or smoking cigarettes... [and] were three times more likely to use measures such as vomiting or taking laxatives..."

Though both boys and girls were included in the study, the boys reported almost no lasting effects from reading dieting articles. Read more online.

People who struggle with bulimia often has oral issues, including tooth decay, caused by regurgitation. But an eating disorder of any kind can cause serious oral issues because of the person's extremely restrictive diet.

"While up to 80% of bulimic patients show signs of the tooth erosion usually associated with regurgitation, some studies have found similar prevalence rates in patients with highly restrictive dietary habits."

Signs of oral health issues can include increased sensitivity to temperature and tooth decay. Read more at NationalEatingDisorders.org.