The earlier eating disorders are
diagnosed in college students and treated, the more likely it will be that they
will recover completely. And yet many college students do not receive treatment
for their eating disorders until their illness is at an advanced stage.
At that point, college students,
like other patients, may already have, or may be at risk of having, a serious
medical condition. Eating disorders can damage almost every organ system or
body part, including the brain, liver, kidneys, heart, GI tract, bones, teeth,
skin and hair. If left untreated, eating disorders can result in osteoporosis,
retarded growth, kidney problems, ulcers and heart failure. Eating disorders
can also lead to death.
So why aren’t eating disorders
diagnosed earlier? One reason is that college students with eating disorders
often try to hide them. College students with eating disorders – and their
family and friends – may be in denial about their eating disorders, or may
simply be unaware of the signs of eating disorders.
Another reason is that many college
students who have eating disorders are not people we would think of as having
eating disorders. We’ve come to think of eating disorders as affecting young
women, yet they are increasingly common in males as well as females, and in
people of all ages, from pre-teens to seniors. While college students are
especially at risk, eating disorders are increasingly common even in pre-teens.
The more a college student knows
about eating disorders, the better they will be able to determine whether they,
other college students, family members or friends have eating disorders.
Types of College Student Eating Disorders
The most common college student
eating disorders are anorexia, bulimia and binge-eating disorder. Most patients
do not meet all of the clinical criteria for their eating disorders. Even if
they have some of the symptoms or come close to meeting the criteria, they
should seek medical treatment.
College Students With Anorexia
College students
with anorexia may take extreme measures to avoid eating. They often become
abnormally thin – and still talk about feeling fat or bloated. Because they
have a distorted image of their body, they typically continue to diet even when
they are severely underweight. Signs of anorexia include:
·
An intense drive
for thinness
·
Refusal to
maintain a minimal normal weight
·
Fear of becoming
fat
·
Distorted body
image
·
Denying feelings
of hunger
·
Avoiding
situations where food in involved
·
Developing
rituals around preparing food and eating
·
Obsession with
dieting
·
Social withdrawal
·
Pronounced
emotional changes, such as irritability, depression and anxiety
In spite of dieting, people with
anorexia are typically preoccupied with food, cooking, nutrition and the number
of calories in each meal.
Another sign of anorexia is the
tendency to exercise obsessively – well beyond what is needed to maintain good
health. Individuals with anorexia also weigh themselves frequently. They often
restrict not only food, but relationships, social activities and pleasure.
Physical signs of anorexia include
thinning hair; dry, flaky skin, and cracked or broken nails. Woman with
anorexia often stop menstruating. The clinical definition says people suffering
from anorexia are at 85% or less of their ideal body weight.
College Students With Bulimia
College students with bulimia
typically “binge and purge.” A binge is the consumption of a large amount of
food within a short period of time. Purging is forced vomiting. College
students with bulimia may use other methods to compensate for their binging and
control their weight, such as excessive exercise, or use of laxatives or diet
pills.
College students with bulimia can
frequently hide their affliction, because they often maintain a normal body weight.
Physical signs may include swollen glands, discolored teeth and calluses on the
hands caused by self-inducing vomiting, staining or deterioration of tooth
enamel; broken blood vessels around the eyes; stomach pain, and weakness or
fatigue. Woman with bulimia often stop menstruating.
People with
bulimia are always extremely concerned with their body weight and shape, and
they may have a distorted image of their body. They may create complex
schedules to make time for binging and purging. They are often socially
withdrawn, depressed, severely self-critical and obsessed with weight loss and
controlling what they eat. Other signs may include:
·
Eating unusually
large amounts of food with no apparent change in weight
·
Hiding of food
·
The frequent
presence of a large number of food containers and wrappers
·
The frequent
smell of vomit
·
Frequent trips to
the bathroom after meals
·
Excessive use of
diuretics
·
Going to the
kitchen frequently when everyone is sleeping
·
Excessive, rigid
exercise
The clinical diagnosis defines a
person as having bulimia if she or he binges and purges several times a week
for at least three consecutive months.
College Students With Binge-Eating Disorders
Binge eating disorder, as the name
implies, is characterized by uncontrollable, excessive eating, followed by
feelings of shame and guilt. Unlike those with bulimia, college students with
binge-eating disorder typically do not purge their food. However, many who have
bulimia also have binge-eating disorder.
College students
with binge-eating disorder typically are overweight or obese. They feel like
they have no control over their behavior, and eat in secret and when they are
not hungry. They also feel shame and remorse over their behavior. They may hide
food. Excessive amounts of food containers and wrappers are also evidence of
binging. Other signs include:
·
Eating in secret
·
“Grazing”
continuously without feeling satiated
·
Eating when
stressed or when feeling uncertain how to cope
·
Feeling unable to
control how much they eat
·
Experimenting with
different diets
If You Or A College Student You Know Have An Eating
Disorder, Take Action Today
If you suspect you or a college
student you know have an eating disorder, seek professional counseling
immediately.
Remember, the longer an eating disorder goes untreated,
the more advanced it is likely to become – and the more difficult it will be to
achieve full recovery. If you know a college student with an eating disorder,
or believe that you or a loved one have an eating disorder, contact Walden
Behavioral Care today at 781-647-6727 or online.
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