Kimi Heskett For many college students, adjusting to the rigors of a full course load and the stress of late night study sessions, along with leaving behind the things that are most familiar, don't make for an easy transition. For some students, these stresses result in the development of eating disorders. Each year eating disorders take a toll on college students across the nation. According to the National Eating Disorders Screening program, an organization that was implemented during Eating Disorders Awareness Week, the onset of eating disorders peaks at ages 14 and 18, parallel to the ages of changes in an adolescent's body and the transition to college and leaving the family home. Molly Coleman, a Muskingum College junior and member of the women's cross country team, has been speaking out about her experience with an eating disorder. Having been a person who has suffered from an eating disorder called non-purging bulimia - where I would limit my food intake, and I would eat I would workout for hours to purge my body of calories as opposed to actually vomiting - and having recovered, I am still faced daily with the common stressors of college life," said Coleman. "Being a female in a society with a view of the 'perfect model body,' it is a common misconception that happiness is equated with thinness and then adding the difficulties of leaving home, making a whole new circle of friends, and being a distance runner didn't exactly fit the mold for the ideal life of a person who had suffered an eating disorder in the past as I did." College students, particularly girls - but also some boys - are at an elevated risk for developing eating disorders as they enter college. The "Freshman 15" is an exaggeration, according to researchers. In a study last year Tufts University, researchers found that while college students do gain weight the first year of school, the average is about 6 pounds for men and 4.5 pounds for women. There are many different factors that contribute to freshmen weight gain. Dynamics such as constant access to dining halls, differing activity levels and generally bad dieting habits without doubt pack a few pounds on new freshmen. At first slight weight gain may not seem like a big deal, but in college when you add in a competitive academic atmosphere and the pressure to attract the opposite sex, the pressure to be thin can be severe. According to The National Institute of Mental Health, up to four percent of women have experienced either anorexia or bulimia in their lives. Most of the time, these disorders start in adolescence or in college. Muskingum College Assistant Professor of Psychology and counselor Dinah Meyer reports that over 60% of college students across the nation show some behaviors of eating disorders, with 2-3% of them suffering from full-blown anorexia and 8-10% from bulimia. Those who struggle when the pressures college life sometimes find themselves turning to anorexia, bulimia, or a combination of the two as a way to block out what is happening around them. Many think if they spend all their time and energy focusing on calories and their weight, they don't have time to think about anything else. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, those who suffer from anorexia often eat small proportions, obsess over food and have an intense fear of gaining weight, even if they are already terribly thin. Bulimia happens when someone overeats, then uses laxatives, exercises excessively, or induces vomiting to compensate. Men more frequently use obsessive and excessive exercise and body-building during their eating disorder and are more likely to not seek treatment for an eating disorder because generally eating disorders are perceived as a "woman's problem." "Even though I have recovered, there are still times that I do relapse," said Coleman. "This is especially true when my stress levels are high and my life is filled with numerous deadlines. When this happens it's easy to long for something that you can control. I think people that suffer from eating disorders find this sense of 'control' with their eating and exercising habits. However, eating disorders have a way of making a person feel like they are in complete control when in reality they are 100% out of control." According to Meyer, people don't usually recognize an eating disorder problem within themselves. "It's easier for friends to recognize when there is a problem," said Meyer. "We encourage people to follow the right steps in helping someone they think may have an eating disorder." Meyer identified those steps as: first, letting them know you care about them, second, state to them what your observations are, and lastly, be a resource person for them and offer to help them get the help they need. Meyer also encourages students to use the resources available on campus, such as herself and other counselors, Randy Price and Jennifer Tufte. Meyer noted that if a student does not feel comfortable getting help on campus, that student can use other local resources, including the Southeastern Ohio Regional Medical Center in Cambridge and the Genesis Healthcare System in New Concord and Zanesville. Coleman encourages fellow students to turn to their friends for help when feeling bogged down.
Warning Signs: Anorexia: -Significant weight loss. -Feeling of fatness, even after weight loss. -Lack of menstrual periods. -Preoccupation with food, calories and nutrition. -Preference to eat in isolation. -Compulsive exercise. -Insomnia. Bulimia: -Uncontrollable eating. -Frequent use of the bathroom after meals. -Reddened fingers from inducing vomiting. -Preoccupation with body weight. -Dental problems, such as tooth decay. -Heartburn or bloating. -Irregular menstrual periods.
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