Pick four college female friends. Did you know that according to national statistics, one of them is likely to be suffering from an eating disorder? Approximately 5 percent of all women in North America develop some form of an eating disorder in their adolescent lives.
The two most common eating disorders are known as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, according to the DSM-IV, the American Psychological Association's guide for diagnosing disorders.
Anorexia nervosa is characterized by the quest for the \ideal body"" with a deep fear of weight gain, an inaccurate perception of body weight or shape and a very low body weight, generally 85 percent of what is expected for one's age.
Bulimia nervosa is characterized by episodes of binge eating followed by purging in means of vomiting, fasting, excessive use of laxatives, diuretics or compulsive exercise. According to Dean Krahn, UW-Madison associate professor of psychiatry, bulimia is four to five times more common than that of anorexia in women.
People who develop anorexia and bulimia tend to begin with a simple diet and then experience many different psychological and emotional changes which cause them to view their body as distorted and inexcusable. However, both anorexia and bulimia are medical illnesses that are extremely treatable and curable, according to experts.
Lack of control is the main reason eating disorders are so prevalent on college campuses, according to Michael Sweetnam, director of the UW-Madison department of psychology. A college student's life, consisting of three-hour afternoon naps, 11:30 p.m. workouts, 1:30 a.m. pizza runs and 3 a.m. bedtimes makes finding a structured schedule nearly impossible.
This proves true for many freshmen who come to college and realize their parents are not here and they can eat whatever they want whenever they want. Sooner than they know it, the dreaded ""freshman 15"" may start to develop, reality sets in, and many students begin to test out diets that may develop into eating disorders.
Statistics, however, show a majority of those who develop an eating disorder in college enter college already worried about their body weight.
According to Krahn, eating disorders are becoming more common in the 21st century because ""we live in a culture where it's easy to get overweight because there is such a high premium of being thin.""
Adolescents need to recognize that supermodel thin just is not achievable, Krahn said.
""Try cutting out a supermodel and going to the mall and finding someone who looks like your super-model. You are as likely to find a match as you are to finding someone who looks like Shaquille O'Neal,"" Krahn said.
Sweetnam said since the idealistic image for a male is to be muscular, being thin is not praised as much in males as it is in females.
""Only 10 percent of those with eating disorders are men,"" Sweetnam said.
However, there are many possible ways to maintain your weight and eat healthy, even on a college campus. Sweetnam said that exercise is much more important than calorie intake. The Southeast Recreational Facility, Camp Randall Memorial Sports Center (SHELL) and the Natatorium are open late on the weekdays, until 11 p.m. Monday through Wednesday and 1 a.m. on Thursdays, to work around the busy schedules of students.
""Eat knowing what is right, not what you feel like,"" Krahn said, who added that he realizes a task like this takes a lot of planning and is a step out of the typical college culture.
He also found that extensive dieting is not always the most successful way to lose weight either. Starving yourself or not eating three balanced meals a day can actually make your metabolism slow down and store all the food that you are willing to give your body. Krahn made the observation in numerous studies that the 8.7 to 11 percent of female freshmen students who entered college as ""non-dieters"" gained the least weight.
Although eating disorders are on the rise in colleges, the word on prevention and awareness is also spreading. Both Krahn and Sweetnam agreed that while eating disorders are very serious illnesses, they are extremely treatable and curable if the patient is willing to work and the University Health Services offers excellent resources and professional care.
The Healthy Eating program is an outreach for those dealing with eating disorders where staff members of all expertise are able to come together and work with each other while working with a patient. UHS can be reached at 265-5600 for more information or to schedule an appointment.
According to Jan Shaefer, a health educator for UHS, the program is a multi-disciplinary approach to dealing with the issues of eating disorders and all of its components. Through the Healthy Eating Program students can meet with a physician, dietitian, psychologist, psychiatrist or therapist at no cost.
Another option for students is the ""No Weigh"" Web site which includes real-life stories, a topic of the month, a message board, literature reviews, help and resources. The Web site is designed for anyone, because everyone at some point in their lives is uncomfortable with the skin they live in, according to Shaefer.
""The 'No Weigh' program is a Web page based program that is not only for those with eating disorders,"" Shaefer explained. ""But more for an on going continuum to those struggling with an eating disorder or simply for the girl that pulls her jeans out of the dryer, puts them on and calls herself fat because they don't fit.""
The Web site can be found at
