Eating disorders are an increasing problem at ASU, and the focus on body image likely is greater here than some other campuses, health officials said Friday.
"When you are in an area where people are in summer clothes most of the time, you're likely to be more body conscious," said Rita Archambault, a professional counselor at Counseling and Consultation.
According to a health assessment study done at ASU in spring 2002 by Student Health, around 58 percent of female students and 52 percent of male students said they were either trying to lose or gain weight.
For that reason, Student Health and Wellness, along with the Student Recreation Complex, Counseling and Consultation and the Associated Students of ASU are bringing Jessica Weiner, author and actionist, to campus.
Weiner will give a presentation titled, "Do I Look Fat in This? Decoding the Language of Body Hatred" on Oct. 22 in Murdock Hall.
Weiner is the author of "A Very Hungry Girl," a novel that addresses body image, self-esteem issues and her own experience with an eating disorder.
Archambault said college students are at a greater risk for developing an eating disorder.
"One reason is when people are experiencing a major life change, like going to college, they focus on where they have some sense of control," she said.
Kimberly Wright, a psychologist at Counseling and Consultation, said eating disorders develop for a number of reasons and usually start out innocently enough.
"No one sets out to have an eating disorder," she said. "Maybe just thinking, 'I want to lose five pounds,' and they may like the way others react and feel a sense of power and become more self-absorbed."
She said at some point, certain people cross a line and become obsessive about their body image, which may lead to an eating disorder.
There are two major types of eating disorders: anorexia, which is characterized by self-starvation, and bulimia, which involves a cycle of binging on food, then purging by throwing up, using laxatives or excessive exercise.
"Everyone says, 'I can control it,'" Wright said, "but once logic goes out the window, it's hard to bring it back in."
Psychology junior Matthew King said there definitely was pressure at ASU to "look good." He added that the campus' focus on body image was linked to ASU's party school reputation.
"The reputation draws a certain kind of student - a type of person just looking to party may be more superficial," he said. "They're not looking for someone just to have a conversation with."
Paul Rock Krech, a clinical social worker in Counseling and Consultation, said he talks to students with eating disorders almost every day.
"The campus environment puts pressure on students to look a certain way. I've heard a lot of students say everyone looks like Ken and Barbie," Krech said. ASU has on-campus treatments for students, including individual and group counseling, medical evaluation and monitoring, and nutrition and psychiatric services.
Reach Student Health's nutrition services at (480) 965-3349. Reach Counseling and Consultation at (480) 965-6146 or (480) 965-4726.
Reach the reporter at katherine.j.krzys@asu.edu.
