In depth

Discussion Forum

Known by professionals and recovered addicts as the "good girl’s drug," eating disorders ranging from anorexia to compulsive exercising have become more prevalent on W&L’s campus, said University health officials. An online survey conducted last March by the University’s health services department revealed that the number of W&L females diagnosed with anorexia or bulimia is almost twice the national average. The survey also reported that the number of male and female students exercising, vomiting, and taking laxatives to lose weight was close to two times the national norm.

"The survey confirmed our perceptions that eating disorders are higher here than they are at other places," said Dr. Christy Barongan, a clinical psychologist for the University.

Although the schools’ health officials now have the data to back up their suspicions, a clouded question still hovers over Washington and Lee—why does the small college campus have such a pronounced presence of eating disorders among its students?

Dr. Jane Horton, director of student health and counseling, believes much of the answer lies in the fact that Washington and Lee attracts highly-motivated students who strive for success in all aspects of their lives.

"This school attracts students with tendencies toward perfectionism," Horton said. "Whether its achieving the highest GPA, fitting into the little black dress, or becoming masculine and buff, it’s all about meeting a perception of what you should be like."

Washington and Lee’s academic and social scene places a strong emphasis on appearances, Horton said, and this can cause stress and anxiety that often manifests itself as an eating disorder.

"You have to be thin, have the right clothes, and look the right way," Horton said. "People feel the need to fit an ideal."

Many students force themselves to fit this ideal because they are still forming their own identities, said sophomore Meghan Joss. Joss understands the mentality behind the disease. She recovered from a four-year battle with anorexia before coming to college, and now she spends much of her time educating women on campus about preventing and dealing with eating disorders.

"Very small number of people fit into that perfect life plan that they envision," Joss said. " They think you go to school, get into a sorority, meet the guy, and be pre-med. But when you get to college, you get shaken up, and you often don’t know your purpose. Eating disorders can fill that. It’s like a full-life existence. It’s an unhealthy one, but it’s an easy way to cope."

The idea of controlling food to deal with stress links eating disorders with other addictive behaviors, such as alcohol and drug abuse, Horton said.

"Eating disorders, like alcohol, are a coping mechanism," Horton said. "There are similarities between substance abuse and eating disorders in terms of denial and resistance to see the behavior as unhealthy."

But not everyone’s addiction to food control leads to a full-blown eating disorder, said Jan Kaufman, director of student health promotion. Many students struggle with what is called disordered eating, which typically involves stringent eating rules and the mentality of viewing foods in categories of "good" and "bad." Disordered eating often involves quirky eating habits as well, such as strange food combinations and avoiding certain foods altogether. Kaufman said disordered eating is much more common and reaches a broader population.

"I look at eating disorders as being a long a continuum," Kaufman said. "At one end of the spectrum you have 100 percent healthy eating…then at the other end of the spectrum you have people with full blown eating disorders. Along the continuum you have people who are experiencing disordered eating at varying degrees and stages. We have to focus on those people in the middle as well."

One way Kaufman and the rest of the University’s health department plan to address the broader population with disordered eating is to provide educational programs about proper nutrition. In February, Kaufman will organize programs to coincide with National Eating Disorders Awareness week. She plans to bring in a speaker on anorexia and bulimia, as well as have informational tables in the Commons about proper portion size and nutritional diet. The University will also have four showings of the documentary "Super Size Me," a film about the health dangers of eating lots of fast food.

"The week will double as an eating disorders and nutrition awareness week," Kaufman said. "I would like to get people to think about portion size and how to institute a healthy diet for themselves…The earlier that people can have good eating habits, the easier it becomes when they are adults to have good habits." 

The key to developing a more healthy diet, whether a student has been over or under eating, is to eat different types of foods, Horton said.

"Variety is key," she said. "You need foods from all food groups. The basic food pyramid is a healthy place to start, but eating something over and over again is not healthy regardless of what it is."

However, Barongan warns against focusing too much on nutritional information to prevent and work through eating disorders. She said this method can often backfire and cause at-risk students to spiral further into their disorder.

"For someone in the midst of an eating disorder, sometimes information that is meant to be educational can be turned into information that to them, justifies why they should continue with the eating disorder," she said. "They don ’t hear the information the same way a healthy person does, and that is the difficult part. Talking about nutritional information can become more harmful than helpful because it becomes a standard for comparison to students with eating disorders."

Joss said that focusing on the nutritional aspects of food "only fuels the obsession" for those with eating disorders.

"It’s a common mistake well-meaning people make," she said. "But it’s more about the mentality, not the food. There’s a void in the life and what they’re doing with food, whether under eating or over eating, serves that purpose. It’s not going to be fixed with nutrition counseling."

Because eating disorders are often tied to emotional issues, Barongan suggests that students listen to one another and pay attention to whether or not their friends show signs of stress. With a cooperative effort between students and counselors, she believes W&L’ s eating disorder statistics will eventually go down.

"Students here are really good at seeming okay when they’re not," she said. "Have more honest discussions with friends, and if appropriate, come into counseling. It is good for them to know that they’re not alone."

Note: These statistics were taken from the National College Health Assessment--Spring 2004 Washington and Lee University--Mental Health Report collected by the Student Health counseling services and are based on an anonymous on-line survey of 614 respondents (36% of total undergraduate population). Experiences are based on the last academic year and are compared to the survey's national results.

Video Clip:

Jan Kaufman's tips for healthy eating and exercising during the holidays