Search
Share & Follow Religion News Blog
Remember These Stories?
Two years ago today: Detox center seeks wider acceptance, Church told to rethink bar on sex before marriage and Gay vicar in appeal to Williams after bishop blocks job
Eating disorder cases emerge after break
Editor’s note: Today The Post begins a six-part weekly series about mental health disorders common among college students.
Up to 60 percent of college women have some behavior related to eating disorders, said Dana Levitt, assistant professor of counselor education at Ohio University.
Eating disorder specialist Jeff Bryson said the age range from seniors in high school to college-age has one of the highest rates of onset for eating disorders. Bryson recently started at Crossroads Christian Counseling in Albany, part of Wellspring, a rehabilitation retreat center for people who have been in cults. Previously he worked at the internationally-known Reumda Ranch in Arizona and specialized in eating disorders for 10 years.
Bryson said right after spring break is one of the times he receives the greatest number of people calling for help with eating disorders.
Bathing suit sales right before spring break are a breeding ground for eating disorders, Bryson said, which is one of the reasons why Eating Disorder Awareness Week, which is designed to bring a deeper wakefulness to the problem of eating disorders, took place right before many spring breaks.
Bulimia, characterized by episodes of binging and purging, is the most common eating disorder on college campuses, said Jeanne Heaton, a psychologist at Hudson Health Center who is currently writing a book called “Talking to Eating Disorders: Simple Ways to Help People With Anorexia, Bulimia and Body Image Issues.”
Bulimia is more typical in treatment, but that does not mean it is more common than anorexia, Bryson said.
“A lot of girls on college campuses don’t look like they have an eating disorder because they’re bulimic,” said Liz Shaw, chief operating officer at Wellspring.
Shaw became passionate about eating disorders after she had two teenage foster daughters -one with anorexia and one with bulimia. Her foster daughter suffering from bulimia was much less obvious, she said. Shaw began to suspect the bulimia when her foster daughter’s teeth began eroding because of the stomach acid caused by the purging.
Crossroads Christian Counseling currently screens for eating disorders and plans to offer a support group in the future.
Shaw started the clinic after having trouble finding any good treatments near Athens, she said. The nearest programs were in Columbus and Pittsburgh. Many of her friends were going through similar problems with their daughters.
“We were very frustrated because we knew that the people we were relying on for help really didn’t know (about eating disorders); they were open about it,” Shaw said.
Hudson Health Center has an eating disorder team consisting of psychologists, dieticians, physicians, an exercise physiologist and an athletic trainer that has been in place for five years.
“What we try to do is to have people see whoever on the team fits most with the problem they are currently having,” Heaton said. Most of the services are free.
The service is understaffed compared to other benchmark institutions, Heaton said. The national average is one mental health professional for every 2,000 students, but Hudson does not even have one for every 5,000.
Bryson also receives many calls from college students after classes let out in the summer, he said. This is dangerous because people who need help wait until the end of the quarter to receive it.
“If they would just be brave enough when it first starts, it’s got a good prognosis,” Shaw said. “You’ve got a good chance of getting over this.” If bulimia is treated within the first five years, there is an 85 percent chance of recovery.
Bryson said a lot of college women develop eating disorders because of the hype of “gaining the freshman 15.” They can also develop because of anxiety of being away from home. Many patients lose 15 pounds and feel like they gained it, Bryson said.
Bryson estimates that 90 percent of individuals with eating disorders are women, but men have eating disorders more often than most people think. They usually follow the same general pattern as women.
Eating disorder statistics are always estimates because it is not a required reported illness, said Tonia Brown, program coordinator for the National Eating Disorder Association.
“There is an enormous lack of research on men with eating disorders,” Bryson said.
Most eating disorders begin when someone goes on a diet, Heaton said. People who have self-esteem issues and are under a lot of pressure are more prone.
“There are enormous pressures for young people to be successful,” Heaton said. One of the primary ways to feel successful before you have a career is by looking good, she said.
Eating disorders are usually paired with depression or another disorder, Bryson said. Bulimics are also at higher risk for substance abuse. While anorexia is more restrictive, the impulsive element of binging and purging is linked to addictions.
Bookmark, Share, or Email This Page
Read Another Article
|
Related News Articles
Topic(s): 
Subscribe to Religion News Blog updates
Find Related Information
Find Related 
Possibly related... or Most Popular Religion News Articles
Search Religion News Blog