Monday, December 2, 1996
Victims of eating disorders have a profound impact on family and
friendsBy Monica Paknad
Daily Bruin Contributor
With Thanksgiving behind them, most UCLA students returned to
campus a few pounds heavier than when they left. But those students
with eating disorders or behaviors may have found the mix of food
and family an explosive one.
Family, friends, roommates, and girlfriends or boyfriends
typically have difficulty understanding why a normally healthy
person would deliberately abuse their body. But unresolved issues
in personal relationships may be the ammunition that first triggers
an eating disorder or causes relapse in a recovered victim, doctors
say.
Among eating disorders, generally classified as either anorexia
nervosa (self-starvation), bulimia nervosa (binging and purging)
and compulsive binge eating (consuming abnormally large quantities
of food), bulimia is the most frequently-treated disorder among
college-aged women.
At UCLA, bulimia is the most prevalent eating disorder, said Dr.
Elizabeth Gong-guy, clinical psychologist at Student Psychological
Services.
Among the general population of women, anorexia has a 0.5
percent incidence rate and bulimia has a 3-4 percent rate of
prevalence, according to Dr. Bita Rahber, director of the
outpatient eating disorders program at the UCLA Medical Center.
These statistics are significantly exaggerated when surveying
college campuses, where Rahber describes eating disorders as
"rampant" with a frequency of 25-35 percent of people in college
samples showing behaviors which are "less than diagnostic, but
still problematic."
Perfectionists by nature, victims of eating disorders commonly
believe that they can handle the problem themselves. Often, people
with eating disorders will deny that the problem exists, even when
they may appear visibly emaciated, said Dr. Vivian Meehan,
president of the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and
Associated Disorders (ANAD).
Eating disorders result in the highest mortality rates among all
mental disorders, with young women and adolescent girls
constituting about 90 percent of the cases, according to the
National Institute of Mental Health.
Experts say it is necessary to show support for the victim of
the illness early on to prevent a victim from becoming the 1-in-10
case that ends in death from starvation, cardiac arrest or
suicide.
Family members and friends should educate themselves on the
subject, seek treatment for their loved ones in clinics or school
counseling, and provide understanding and encouragement to keep the
person in treatment.
Meehan says that one should not expect family therapy to "mend
the person with an eating disorder" but rather to aid in a better
understanding of what the victim is thinking.
She also says that sometimes the disorder can become a tool to
control and change the family, since the illness often develops
when relationships, including those within the family, are
distorted in the eyes of the victim.
Family and friends should refrain from telling the victim to
"eat more" because usually food is not the real issue. Food is a
means of weight restoration and not a solution to deeper problems
such as self-esteem, Meehan said.
It is known that "societal ideals tell us that anybody really
thin will be successful and loved," Meehan says. So, it hinders
recovery when those around the victim make rude comments concerning
weight or appearance.
In addition, it is the family’s responsibility to provide
"adequate nutritional food" so the victim has access to it if they
decide to eat. Once in therapy, victims of eating disorders need to
assume their own responsibility for eating.
About 80 percent of people with eating disorders develop them as
teenagers, according to Meehan. The remainder of the cases result
from major life changes, "when life gets too unbearable."
Doctors cite life changes, such as losing a significant other,
as "one of the big triggers" of an eating disorder. Experts agree
that the sooner the person receives treatment, the better; however,
getting the person in treatment and keeping them there can be
extremely challenging.
Strains placed on the family resulting from the disorder can
often be relieved through family therapy. Experts say released
anger and feelings can often result in improved communication
within the family. But the victims themselves must first want
help.
Treatment is "difficult and ineffective if the person is not
coming of their own free will," Gong-guy said.
The most supportive thing a family member can say, according to
Meehan is, "if you’d like to talk, I’m here to listen."