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Eating Disorders


What are Eating Disorders?

The most common eating problems are disordered eating, bulimia, anorexia, and binge eating. Students who experience disordered eating may engage in restrictive dieting, overeating/binge eating, and/or purging to a mild degree. People with bulimia are often of average weight, binge on food, and then get rid of it by throwing up, exercising excessively, or using laxatives. People with anorexia restrict their food intake, exercise excessively, and are often extremely thin. Those who binge eat consume large amounts of food but do not purge, and are often overweight.

Eating disorders are not just about weight and food, but they are related to stress, anxiety, low self-esteem, need for control, and/or emotional pain. Cultural factors, psychological problems, learned behavior, family issues, interpersonal problems, and biological factors can all contribute to the development of an eating disorder. Eating disorders typically develop during adolescence and early adulthood. Both women and men may develop eating disorders.

For more information about eating disorders please visit the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) website and the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders website.

What are the Warning Signs?

Dieting, food restriction and over-exercise often lead to preoccupation with food and body weight and may be a warning that you are at risk for an eating disorder. Following are some thoughts and behaviors which would indicate a serious problem:

  • I am so preoccupied with weight, food, calories, or dieting, that it consistently intrudes on conversations and interferes with other activities.
  • I have an excessive and/or rigid exercise regimen; I will exercise despite weather, fatigue, illness, and injury. I exercise to burn calories, and I feel guilty or won't eat if I do not exercise.
  • I have begun to avoid social and other activities because of weight or shape concerns.
  • I continue to be concerned about fat on my body, even though I have lost a lot of weight.
  • I have gone on eating binges where I feel that I may not be able to stop.
  • I intentionally vomit after I have eaten.
  • Food controls my life.
  • I have used laxatives, diet pills, or diuretics to control my weight or shape.
  • I chew gum constantly or I am always drinking water or diet beverages to control hunger.
  • I believe that I am "good" when I'm thin and "bad" when I am fat.

Eating disorders are serious diseases with major physical and psychological consequences. If you think you are at risk, or if someone has expressed concern about you, call the University Health Center Counseling and Psychiatric Services (706-542-2273) or the Health Promotion Department (706-542-8690) for more information.

Learn more about healthy eating at What is Healthy Eating? For more information on general nutrition, please visit Health Promotion's Nutrition site.

How Much Exercise is Too Much?

Compulsive exercisers use excessive activity to "purge" the body of excess calories in order to maintain abnormal eating patterns or to prevent weight gain. Following are a few of the signs of a compulsive exerciser:

  • Repeatedly exercising beyond the requirements for good health
  • Defines self worth in terms of performance
  • Experiences strong feelings of guilt or anxiety if unable to exercise
  • Does not allow time off to heal injuries
  • Intense preoccupation with weight, body image, and/or calories expended

Physical consequences of this disorder include stress fractures, tendonitis, damaged bones, joints, tendons, and ligaments, anemia, loss of menstrual cycle, dehydration and fatigue.

For more information, visit Something Fishy. If you believe you struggle with this issue, contact Counseling and Psychiatric Services (706-542-2273) or Health Promotion (706-542-8690).

What Services are Available to Help Students with an Eating Disorder?

The faster a person with an eating disorder gets help, the greater the chances for recovery. Recovery takes time and patience, and change occurs slowly, especially when behaviors have been long-standing. These are serious disorders that often require professional assistance for recovery.

A multidisciplinary team of professionals is available at the University Health Center to help students with eating disorders and disordered eating. The team consists of psychotherapists, a registered dietitian, and a physician's assistant. Psychiatrists are available for consultation about medication, and additional UHC staff are brought in when specialized skills or consultation is needed.

The UHC/CAPS eating disorders program offers comprehensive psychological, nutritional, and physical evaluations. The evaluation will assess the severity and type of eating disorder the student has. Appropriate treatment for each student will be determined. Individual psychotherapy, group therapy, nutritional counseling, physical examination, and medication evaluation and monitoring are available. Referrals to community resources are made for concerns requiring hospitalization or therapy beyond what CAPS is able to provide in a short-term framework.

How to Help a Friend or Family Member with an Eating Disorder

If you are concerned that a friend or loved one is suffering from an eating disorder, begin by learning as much as you can about eating disorders, as well as local treatment centers and referral sources. Eating disorders are complex problems that are best treated by a team of health care specialists, including medical, psychological, and nutrition professionals. If you decide to talk to your friend about your concerns, it is important to do so in a kind and nonjudgmental way. Following are some suggestions:

  • Plan to approach the person in a private place when there is time to talk and there are no immediate stressors present.
  • Tell her or him that you are worried and want to help. Present in a caring and straightforward way what you have observed and what your concerns are.
  • If the person denies the problem, becomes angry or refuses treatment, understand that this is often part of the illness.
  • Do not try to be a hero or a rescuer; you will probably be resented. If you do the best you can to help on several occasions and the person does not accept it, then stop. You may have planted a seed that encourages them to eventually seek help.
  • Be patient. You cannot expect overnight recovery even if the person is in therapy.
  • Be aware that this does not feel like a choice for him or her. They will not be able to stop these behaviors for you. His or her actions may seem selfish to you, but they may feel like the only option for your loved one.
  • Do not allow the person's problem to interfere with your normal functioning. You may also want to seek outside help for yourself.
  • If the person is in immediate physical danger (e.g. passing out, extreme confusion), get them to an emergency room or UHC Urgent Care during clinic hours.

A summary of do's and don'ts:

  • Do listen and be supportive.
  • Do care and nurture.
  • Do provide information.
  • Do encourage professional help.
  • Don't be judgmental.
  • Don't dwell on eating, weight or appearance. Avoid making comments about the person's appearance either positive or negative.
  • Don't insist that the person eat, not eat, or change attitudes.
  • Don't try to police or control the person.
  • Don't ignore the problem.
  • Do ask if there is something bothering the person when they exhibit eating disorder behaviors. Be open to them talking about feelings. Encourage them to look beyond the food & weight concerns and talk about the more emotional issues.

The multidisciplinary eating disorders team at the University Health Center provides evaluation, treatment and outside referral, if needed. For more information on eating disorders, how to help a friend, and local treatment options call 706-542-2273 (Counseling and Psychiatric Services) or 706-542-8690 (Health Promotion).

FAQs About Eating Disorder Treatment

Why is this happening to me?
Unfortunately, there isn't a simple answer to this. For some, it's obvious: disordered eating behaviors correlate with a traumatic event or long term family issues. Others are unsure why they have eating disorders; their lives have been good and the people in their lives love them. Social pressures and media often exacerbate low self-esteem and negative body image. The onset of mood disorders, such as depression and anxiety, make some people feel out of control. For many, vigilantly attending to food or weight becomes a comfort.

Regardless, people with eating disorders all have one thing in common - they have experienced a level of intense emotion and did not know what to do with it. Learning to express emotions appropriately can reduce eating disordered behavior. Identifying the needs the eating disorder is meeting (i.e., control, attention, comfort, self-punishment) and finding alternative ways to meet these needs can also decrease symptoms.

I don't think it's all that deep. I just can't seem to get skinny enough that I'm happy.
If eating disorders were really about food and weight, you would be able to stop on your own. You wouldn't have fallen into the traps of binge eating, purging, over-exercising and/or restricting. We all know how to lose weight healthily: moderate eating and exercise. Any unhealthy attempt to lose weight indicates a problem with self care. Exploring why you choose not to take care of yourself, or lack the motivation to treat yourself well can be helpful. Obsessing over weight, food, exercise, or appearance can impede on your social life, academic performance, and quality of life.

What should I know about recovering from an eating disorder?
Because we believe your physical health is as important as your mental health, CAPS recommends an eating disorder physical and a meeting with a dietician. We are happy to make referrals within the health center to make this process more cost effective.

While you are working on recovery, all of the same external pressures will still be there. You will continue to see people you compare yourself to. Meals will still need to be eaten. People in your life who commented on your appearance before may continue to do so. Your disordered eating has served a purpose and now you will attempt to face these challenges with healthier coping skills. Recovering from any problem is rarely as fluid and easy as we would hope. There are usually "slips" where a person reverts to old behaviors. Instead of seeing these as failure or "relapse", it is helpful to view them as part of the process of healing. No one is perfect and trying to be has made you sick. Your therapist will help you navigate this with an eye on progress, not perfection.