| Editor's Note: Caitlin Emmons is a freshman at the University of California at Santa Cruz. |
| Caitlin's College Blog By: Caitlin Emmons According to National Eating Disorders Association [NEDA] polls, 20% of all college students have suffered from an eating disorder at some point in their lives. I always knew that the prevalence of eating disorders in college was high and my time in high school was not without the occasional case of anorexia, but it amazed me to find that the people I thought were the most confident and happy had fallen victim to these epidemics. Normally with this column, I try to teach a lesson through experience and I hope this helps at least one. Know the signs: Those with eating disorders are rarely good at covering up their problems, especially if they are people you spend a lot of time with on a regular basis. The story: I have a friend, let’s call him David, who was never really overweight to begin with but as the year has gone on, he is losing more and more weight. After Winter break he had dropped at least 20 pounds and was beginning to look unhealthy. David started to have really intense mood swings and wouldn’t go anywhere that required him to take off his shirt. It was hard to act like something was not up, but no one really knew what he was doing. His roommate was pretty sure he was eating and didn’t think he was throwing up. Regardless, something was obviously off about the picture. While we have yet to figure out exactly how he is doing it, most people know that David is suffering from some kind of eating disorder. Even though David is ashamed of what he has done to his body, he is not willing to get any help and is even less willing to talk about his problem. Talking about disorders: Admitting to an eating disorder is a complicated situation to talk about. If you let people know you have one, most of them are going to want to help you and that at times can seem overwhelming. The story: Sometimes people have eating disorders that they consider to be in the past, but deep down they are not really over it. It took me almost five months to find out that one of my friends had been bulimic most of high school. She had chosen not to tell me because she didn’t want me worrying about her whenever we ate, a fact that is now hard to avoid. Worrying about someone is not always a problem just as long as it doesn’t become oppressive. If you are constantly reminding them you know, they are more likely to hide their problems from you in the future. You need to be there for them in the ways they need it, but it’s also okay to ask for help when you are feeling overwhelmed. Many clinics offer hotlines that you can call any time. Dealing with the stress: College is full of different things to stress over: money, grades, classes, papers, parties, friends and boyfriends/girlfriends. Sometimes in order to deal with that stress you will forgo eating properly. If you are worried this is becoming a habit you have to stop and ask yourself why you do it. Is it really because you didn’t have time to eat or is there something else going on? I never really thought it was possibly to have a subconscious eating disorder, but when I started thinking about my own eating habits I saw some very negative trends. I often would not eat until late in the afternoon, surviving on coffee alone. While I was quick to assume this was just a habit of efficiency, I also found myself getting some kind of joy out of it. As if not eating was some kind of hard task that deserved to be rewarded. Once I was able to identify this thought process, I could see that what I once thought was just a means of saving time was becoming a really unhealthy and potentially serious problem. Most college education programs here are aimed at stopping mass alcohol consumption, while ignoring other very serious problems. There is no class in loving yourself, body and soul, but maybe there should be. The studies may indicate that 20% of the population has suffered from an eating disorder, but this doesn’t account for those of us who stay silent. College, like I have said before, is a time to mature and grow up, but it is also a highly stressful environment that fosters a variety of unhealthy behaviors. Build a network that you can count on and don’t forget my number one rule, you have to love yourself before anyone else is going to truly love you back. |
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