Issue date: 11/4/09 Section: Features

Media Credit: Megan Harris [Click to enlarge]

Imagine weighing 90 pounds, but when looking in the mirror, the reflection shows an obese individual.

Due to eating disorders nationwide, individuals suffer from distorted body image issues on a daily basis. A few of the most common eating disorders include anorexia and bulimia.

Kim Roberts, psychology professor at Sacramento State, said there are many psychological components involved with eating disorders that cause these body illusions to develop. She said some of the blame can be placed on the unrealistic portrayal of beauty shown throughout the media.

"In our society, the media displays very thin models, therefore young women equate thin with being beautiful," Roberts said.
Roberts said in order to avoid these psychological issues, individuals, especially women, should learn to love themselves at an early age.

"Young girls should develop a good, healthy self-esteem and positive view about their bodies. This usually starts at home. If a mother looks in the mirror and complains about her weight, the child will realize weight is important and she should watch what she eats," Roberts said.

Kalyn Coppedge, Health Educator at Fit HELP, said people can recover from eating disorders, but the longer an individual goes without getting help, the longer it takes to recover.

"It is a long process. One must start with getting medically stable," Coppedge said. "They then must work through the reasons they developed the eating disorder and create new, healthier coping mechanisms which include professional help and support groups."

Roberts said eating disorders develop most rapidly in adolescent girls. She said during puberty, the combination of physical body changes and the stress of adulthood weigh on young women, especially since these are things they have no control over. Roberts said the one thing these girls find control in is food intake, so they develop an eating disorder as a way to take control of their lives.

Coppedge said there are some underlying features that push individuals into an eating disorder.

"The person may have risk factors before they even develop an eating disorder, such as family history, perfectionist personality, abuse, close friends who focus on weight indefinitely, etc.," she said.

Coppedge said the most important thing for outside members to understand is that individuals suffering from an eating disorder lack the levelheadedness to create the equilibrium.

"The person dealing with an eating disorder cannot find balance with food in their lives and worries inordinately about weight," she said. "It can have terrible effects and can impair how the person functions on a day-to-day basis. When left untreated, these disorders can lead to extreme illness or death."

Coppedge said anorexic individuals restrict caloric intake to avoid gaining weight and are normally very underweight.
Roberts said anorexic individuals have a distorted body image alongside this extreme diet.

"Someone with anorexia may be 90 pounds, but when they look in the mirror they see themselves as fat," Roberts said. "The longer this person goes without treatment, the more embedded the body-image problem becomes."

Roberts said antidepressants may be prescribed depending on the extremity of the situation. She said for the most part, eating disorders are built up in an individual's head and the only way to destroy the disorder is to change his or her current mindset, which can be reinforced by psychologists and support groups.
Roberts said bulimic individuals, like anorexics, aim to lose large quantities of weight. She said the main difference is when individuals with bulimia begin to feel hungry they don't ignore the craving. Instead, they binge eat and then purge the contents of their stomach directly after.

Coppedge said that in extreme cases of bulimia, individuals may utilize laxatives to purge.

Roberts said there are many symptoms and side effects of these disorders, which include tooth decay, kidney issues, electrolyte imbalance, brittle hair and nails and constant fatigue.

Roberts said eating disorders are difficult for psychologists to treat. She said people suffering from eating disorders need psychological help, but it does not always work because the psychologists find it difficult to place themselves in a patient's position.

"We, as psychologists, eat every day. Meanwhile, people suffering from anorexia and bulimia have to first gain a perspective on how not to worry about gaining weight - a perspective that we instinctively have," Roberts said.

A member of Anorexics and Bulimics Anonymous, Jane Doe, whose name has been changed to keep her anonymity, spoke about how the meetings she attends can fill in the gap that psychologists may not be able to fill.

"The group offers support from others who understand what the individual is going through. I don't think outside sources understand addiction that well. It's hard to feel understood from somebody who doesn't experience it personally," Doe said.

Doe said being able to hear from people who have gone through the same disorder and recovered from it gives members hope; it also enables survivors of the disorder to share their accomplishments.

Doe said Anorexics and Bulimics Anonymous has had more than 200 people come through for help, but not many stick around.
"It's the nature of anyone undergoing an addiction to be in denial and to underestimate their addiction," Doe said. "It's a hard disease to get motivated to recover from because when people start to get even a little bit better they feel like they've got it handled and walk away."

Coppedge said that eating disorders need to be treated like any other addiction.

"The best treatment includes psychotherapy, a dietitian, a physician and possibly an exercise physiologist. We have all of these on campus, but for those who need extra support we refer off-campus," she said.

Roberts said the message that should be sent out nationwide is to eat a balanced diet and that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes.

Katrina Tupper can be reached at ktupper@statehornet.com

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