Forty percent of newly identified cases of anorexia are in girls 15-19 in each decade since 1930 and incidence of bulimia in 10-39 year old women tripled between 1988 and 1993, according to a study by Hoek and van Hoeken.
Over one half of teenage girls are and nearly one third of teenage boys use unhealthy weight control behaviors and girls who diet frequently are 12 times as likely to binge as girls who don’t diet, said a study completed by Neumark-Sztainer in 2005.
Over all, nearly 20 million women and 10 million men in the U.S. will suffer from an eating disorder, according to the National Eating Disorder Association. But with treatment, 60 percent of those with eating disorders will make a full recovery.
In an effort to do its part in fighting eating disorders, DePauw counseling services offered National Eating Disorders Screening Program for adults earlier this month. The screenings were completed by students in the Hub. This outreach initiative was offered in the Hub and gave students the opportunity to take a short survey about their health and eating habits.
Maggie Cochrane is a senior Wellness Advocate and extremely passionate about the importance of mental health. Cochrane is one of several students that helped counselors coordinate the eating disorder screening.
“It [eating disorders] are a prevalent issue on campus,” said Cochrane. “I know people close to me that have suffered from things.”
Research provides that college campus’s are a vulnerable demographic for eating disorders.
“When you think of the amount of life transitions experienced by college students, it seems important for us as mental health providers to screen for such issues and address them,” said Julie D’argent, director of Counseling Services.
D’argent explained that eating disorders tend to impact college aged students and the disorders are triggered by transitions in one’s life.
The main objective of the screening is not only to practice good mental health and promote Counseling Services as a campus resource but it is offered to help students become more aware of potential issues that can form due to insecurities and help students understand how they can receive further assessment.
Each screening takes a few minutes and consists of a series of questions. Cochrane explained that after completing their screening students were encouraged read over their responses with a counselor. If students showed evidence of being at risk for an eating disorder in their responses counselors encouraged these students to seek further evaluation.
“We discuss the results with them and encourage them to reach out to counseling services for further evaluation and they are then either seen as clients at our center and/or referred out to the community if they require higher level of care,” said D’argent.
Cochrane is one of four student Wellness Advocates who work with DePauw’s Counseling Services and the Wellness Center to offers moral support outside of the Wellness Center.
“I serve as a liaison between Counseling Services and the programs that they offer and our student body,” she said. Her role as a Wellness Advocate gives students the ability to voice their concerns or ask questions in an informal setting.
Currently, Cochrane is in the process of founding a new campus organization called Active Minds. Active Minds is a nationally accredited organization that works towards changing the conversation around mental health on college campuses.
“The focus of this program is to break down the stigmas associated with mental health,” said Cochrane.
Senior and Wellness Advocate Kayli Schafer works alongside Cochrane to combat mental health stigmas.
“I think that mental health has a negative stigma attached to it, and part of my job as a wellness advocate is to dispel that stigma,” said senior Wellness Advocate Kayli Schafer, “Mental health issues are so common, especially among college students, yet they are so rarely talked about.”
Both Cochrane and Schaefer are compassionate about displaying awareness and talking about the importance of mental health.
“One of the things I love most about being a Wellness Advocate is having the opportunity to have an open discussion with students about mental health and letting them know that they are not alone and that the Wellness Center has a variety of resources available," said Schaefer.
Overall Cochrane thought the eating disorder screening in November was a success. However, she still believes the taboo subject often keep students from taking advantage of the opportunity to be screened.
“It was so hard to get people to participate without being pushy; it is difficult to be assertive without being pushy,” said Cochrane.
The next opportunity for DePauw students to participate in an eating disorder screening away from the Wellness Center will take place in February during National Eating Disorder Awareness week.
With the help of Screening for Mental Health, Inc (SMH) The National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA) anyone can access an online eating disorder screening which provides a free and anonymous self-assessment to gauge the risk of an eating disorder.