Staying thin and attractive has become so important that some will go to dangerous lengths to achieve an image of perfection. Eating disorders afflict millions of people around the world, most commonly women between the ages of 12 and 35.
???People who suffer from eating disorders often keep friends and family in the dark about their problems. While this secrecy accounts for a lack of knowledge about these disorders, there are also major societal misconceptions that can have the same effect.
???According to Carissa Uschold, a licensed clinical social worker, one of the biggest misconceptions regarding any eating disorder is that the individual makes a personal choice to engage in bad dietary behavior.
???"Another misconception is that it's a disease of vanity and that people are just striving to look good," Uschold said. "For the individual, it can be a means of coping and managing."
???Uschold is part of the Student Wellness Team on campus, which is comprised of Counseling Services, Health Services and Wellness Education. There is also a team that is solely dedicated to helping those in need, who may be suffering from an eating disorder or with a related issue.
???Knowing that these options are available is only the first step because many who experience these devastating problems are not comfortable with seeking help or even admitting their habits.
???Danielle Bucella, a senior history major, has personally battled bulimia and understands what it's like to have a life controlled by an eating disorder.
???According to Bucella, one learns to be creative when disposing of the food that he or she has eaten, but wants to get rid of.
???"I became creative because I didn't want others to know," Bucella said. "When I was over 125 pounds, I felt disgusting and threw up more because I thought being over 125 pounds was super fat."
???Being secretive and hiding the disorder becomes natural after experience with covering it up, according to Bucella. There are certain challenges that one must face as the disorder progresses, and not being thin enough was one of the biggest challenges, as well as the constant need to purge, according to Bucella.
???"[One problem is] never stopping. It's gross, and I don't really like doing it, but I can't stop," Bucella said. "It would be nice to get over it."
Antonina Mokiyenko, a junior business major, is closely connected with someone who has an eating disorder and is convinced that culture plays a big role in how an eating disorder is confronted.
???"Many cultures don't recognize the whole emotional facet of these disorders," Mokiyenko said. "Certain cultures don't do enough psychological research."
???According to Mokiyenko, who is of Russian descent, there is more research available here in the U.S. than in other countries. Her friend's parents were clueless about the emotional aspect of their daughter's eating disorder because they both grew up in an older generation in Russia.???
Her parents didn't acknowledge how life threatening their daughter's disorder was until the doctors stepped in because cultural experience had taught them to avoid the subject, according to Mokiyenko.
"It was a hush topic, kind of like taboo; it was pushed aside," Mokiyenko said. "She ended up in the hospital, and the doctors talked to her parents to make them aware of how dangerous the disorder had become."
???According to Uschold, eating disorders can be extremely dangerous if nobody steps in to help or if those struggling decide to ignore the help that is available.
???"Eating disorders are the number one cause of death amongst all psychiatric illnesses," Uschold said. "Research is showing the reason is that it is not just an emotional issue; there are physical components and dangers associated with eating disorders."
