By Kristy Volmert | Staff Writer
In celebration of National Eating Disorder Awareness Week, Baylor’s Counseling Center and Health Center are working with the law school, the nursing school, athletics, School Health Advisory Council, public health, dietetic and social work students to facilitate awareness about eating disorders and provide support and resources for students who struggle with them.
Regina Mastin, coordinator of eating disorder services, is in charge of organizing everything for the week and said she has worked hard to get as many people involved as possible.
The Counseling Center hopes to use this week to let students know that they are not alone if they struggle with food or body issues, encourage students to seek help and connect them with resources.
“All week, we are offering a space for students to surrender their scales if the scale causes them any undue burden or stress,” Mastin said.
On Monday, body-positive messages were posted all around campus, and on Tuesday, tabling events were at the SLC. On Wednesday there will be a resource event with food and activities located outside of the SUB, and on Thursday SHAC will host a tabling event in the Moody Library.
Lisa MacMaster, family nurse practitioner at the Health Center, said she wants students to know that they have many resources available to them and that the effects of eating disorders can be very harmful to overall health.
“Eating disorders can have numerous medical complications and affect almost every system in the body,” MacMaster said. “Many students may not realize that their physical and emotional symptoms such as fatigue, dizziness, heart racing or even increased anxiety can be related to inadequate nutrition.”
It’s important that eating disorders receive proper diagnoses and treatment because they can have long-lasting effects on overall health, Mastin said. Eating disorders can be dangerous and put an individual at a significant risk of suicide and medical complications.
“Eating disorders affect cognitive, behavioral, physical and emotional functioning,” Mastin said. “Eating disorders can decrease the ability to think clearly if the brain is not fueled adequately. Students must be able to concentrate and focus to be successful academically.”
Mastin said it’s important to note that eating disorders do not have a certain look and are seen in people of all body types, genders, races, ethnicities and age groups.
Many students receive misleading information from social media or other sources that influence unhealthy habits, such as completely cutting out carbohydrates from their diet. This causes a lack of energy that often results in an unhealthy caffeine dependency.
“Carbs are one of the three essential macronutrients. Carbohydrates provide glucose which is the brain’s primary source of fuel,” Mastin said.
Mastin said that disordered eating has become “socially acceptable.” While not officially recognized as an eating disorder, a less familiar type of disordered eating called orthorexia is characterized by an excessive desire to eat healthy which can escalate into an unhealthy obsession. It can be defined as “a disease disguised as a virtue,” Mastin said.
According to a systemic review, the Journal of Affective Disorders finds that around 31% of individuals with anorexia nervosa, 23% of individuals with bulimia nervosa and 23% of individuals diagnosed with binge eating disorder have attempted suicide.
Their findings “indicate ED patients as one of the most prevalent psychiatric populations with a severe risk for suicide, and therefore in need of comprehensive and systemic treatment to prevent suicidal behavior.”
The National Eating Disorder Association reports that “only about 20% or fewer of the students who screened positive for an eating disorder reported receiving treatment for their eating disorder,” meaning that many college campuses don’t provide adequate treatment.
“Shame often keeps people from seeking help. They feel like they are alone, the only one suffering from eating issues,” Mastin said.
This week is meant to help those students understand that they are not alone.
“A comprehensive evaluation with an interdisciplinary team can provide patients with information, support and access to specialized resources,” MacMaster said. “I want students to know recovery is possible.”
Baylor provides an eating disorder assessment team, a group of professionals from the Counseling Center and the Health Center, and they offer a multitude of resources to support students in their recovery.
“Recovery is 100% possible,” Mastin said.
