It’s no secret that bulimia and anorexia are types of eating disorders, but what most may not know is that the majority of women who develop an eating disorder do not just jump right into binging or starving themselves. Most cases of bulimia and anorexia begin to develop from a simple diet. From there, dieters may become so obsessed with losing weight that it dominates their lives.
Claire Van Ogtrop, a licensed clinical social worker and counselor, and Jennifer Fuller, a registered dietitian and health educator at MSU, work with women who have eating disorders on a one-to-one basis. Van Ogtrop and Fuller have decided to get to the heart of the problem and are starting an “Improve Eating Behavior and Body Image” group therapy session. The session targets young women who are on the path that leads to eating disorders.
“The idea is to catch female students who are on the fence between normal and disordered eating and body image,” Van Ogtrop said.
“This group is for women that are constantly worrying about calories, fat, what their bodies look like and have a continuous desire to lose weight so much that it is controlling their life,” Fuller said.
Statistics show that eating disorders have the highest mortality rate in the United States. Organs shut down and shrink, and the esophagus can rupture from too much binging and purging. Osteoporosis is a common side effect, and the body starts eating itself because it has nothing else to eat.
Statistics also show that more college women struggle with bulimia than do the same age women that are not in college.
“Eating disorders are a problem that affect both women and men of all ages, but we see eating disorders that fall in the college age,” Van Ogtrop said. “We feel that these women need accurate knowledge on how to prevent diet obsession from becoming an eating disorder and how to maintain a healthy diet without it running one’s life. This session is not just about information, but it is a time for students to talk and share problems that they don’t feel comfortable talking about elsewhere.”
“Improve Eating Behavior and Body Image” sessions will begin once up to five participants have signed up. There will be eight 90-minute sessions designed to target students who are on their way to having an eating disorder but do not already have one.
To sign up for “Improve Eating Behavior and Body Image,” or for help with an existing eating disorder, contact Van Ogtrop at 325-2091 or Fuller at 325-7545