Latest Research
Eating Recovery Center In the News: MomsTeam.com
Eating Disorders: College Athletes at Increased Risk
Research suggests that at least one-third of female college athletes exhibit some form of disordered eating behaviors. In the byline excerpt below, Enola Gorham, Clinical Director of Adult Services at Eating Recovery Center, explains why this phenomenon is so common among college athletes, outlines significant warning signs of eating disorders and offers strategies for parents to intervene and help their children seek treatment. Read the MomsTeam.com byline in its entirety here.
As college freshmen across the U.S. return home for the holidays, thousands of parents will – for the first time – discover eating disorders that developed during their child’s first semester. Because the transition to college is one of the two most common life stages in which eating disorders develop, parents should be vigilant for symptoms of eating disorders as their teens return home for the mid-year break.
For parents of college athletes, this phenomenon should be of particular concern. At least one-third of female college athletes exhibit some form of disordered eating behaviors, according to a 1999 study published by Craig Johnson, PhD, FAED, CEDS, chief clinical officer of the Eating Recovery Center in Denver, Colorado.
For many young adults, the pressures of the first semester of college can create the perfect storm for eating disorders development, and it’s easy for teens to hide behaviors from their families, particularly if they go to school far away from home. Many parents won’t see the outcome of this devastating development until their children return home for winter break.
Dieting to avoid the “freshman 15,” stress from academic and social pressures and anxiety tied to being away from home for the first time are common triggers of first semester eating disorders development. For college athletes, athletic performance pressures and the stress of juggling a full academic load while playing a sport at the collegiate level can exacerbate an already anxiety-ridden situation.
Posted in Anorexia Nervosa, Binge Eating, Bulimia Nervosa, In the News, Latest Research •
Eating Recovery Center In the News: The Huffington Post
Your Family Tree Can Reveal Your Risk for Eating Disorders
In the latest installment of his blog, Dr. Weiner discusses the genetic link underlying eating disorders, and explains why eating disorders, like heart disease, cancer and obesity, should be among the illnesses we look for in family medical histories. Read an excerpt of the blog post below, or click here to view the article in its entirety at huffingtonpost.com.
It’s not uncommon for individuals to consult their family trees to evaluate their predisposition to various illnesses, including heart disease, cancer and obesity. But a disease that tends to be absent from the checklist of dangerous and highly-inheritable illnesses to look for in family medical histories is eating disorders.
The link between genetics and eating disorders
Most people don’t understand the connection between genetics and eating disorders when, in fact, there is a very strong genetic component to these illnesses.* Research has found that 40 to 50 percent of the risk of developing an eating disorder is based on genetics. Anorexia nervosa, an eating disorder characterized by extreme low body weight and a refusal to consume sufficient calories to support bodily functioning, has been found to be as inheritable as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
Family studies have also supported the genetic link of eating disorders. Compared with the general population, a woman with a mother or sister who has anorexia is 12 times more likely to develop the disease and four times more likely to develop bulimia nervosa. Twin studies have perhaps shed the most meaningful light on the heredity of eating disorders. Among identical twins, whose genetic makeup is 100 percent the same, there is a 59 percent chance that if one twin has anorexia, the other twin will also develop an eating disorder. Among fraternal twins sharing only 50 percent of their sibling’s genes, the incidence of the illness in both twins was lower but still significant. When one twin has anorexia, there is an 11 percent chance that the other twin will also have the illness.
What exactly do you inherit when it comes to eating disorders?
While research to date has helped bring to light the connection between eating disorders and genetics, there is still much to understand, specifically what is inherited. Studies from both the Maudsley Hospital in London and the University of Pittsburgh suggest that variations in the gene for serotonin receptors may play a role in the development of eating disorders. Abnormal serotonin levels are associated with overall more negative moods and obsessions with perfectionism and exactness.**
Posted in Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, Huffington Post, In the News, Latest Research •
Eating Recovery Center In the News: The Otter Realm
“Maintaining a Positive Body Image”
The insights of Dr. Craig Johnson, Eating Recovery Center’s Chief Clinical Officer, were recently featured in an article by Cal State Monterey Bay’s student-run newspaper, The Otter Realm. The article explores the topic of body image and considerations of college athletes for maintaining positive body image while getting into competitive shape or after leaving their sport. Read below for a short excerpt of the article, or click here to read the article in its entirety.
The media portrays women and have models that are typically 5’11” and weigh around 117 pounds while the average woman is around 5’4” and weighs around 140 pounds. As for college athletes, this ranges because even with being in great shape, the amount of muscle weighs more than fat, so more often than not that number is going to be higher. Coach Figueroa, in charge of the Women’s water polo team here at California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB) has always said that being safe is important when getting into shape. It is not about the number but it is what YOUR playing weight is. Everyone’s is different and it depends on how you use it to your advantage.
In an article on The Daily News Online, an athlete named Alyssa Kitasoe that attended UCLA describes how the feeling of wearing the UCLA Gymnastics logo made her feel proud and on top. As it is known gymnastics is a sport that is all about being small and light enough to hurl yourself through the air a couple of times and still be able to land on your feet. Kitasoe described how her feelings changed once she quit the sport. Her body image of herself changed and soon she developed bulimia nervosa. “It was like seeing a ghost of yourself, or a monster,” Kitasoe describes. According to experts Craig Johnson and Katherine Beals, at least one-third of female college athletes have some type of eating disorder.
Posted in Bulimia Nervosa, In the News, Latest Research •
Eating Recovery Center In the News: PsychCentral
“The Impact Of ‘Fat Talk’ On Kids & What Parents Can Do”
This month’s Fat Talk Free Week resulted in a number of articles featuring Eating Recovery Center experts commenting on the impact of fat talk – or disparaging body-, weight- or shape-related comments – particularly on children. In the interview excerpt below, Elizabeth Easton, PsyD, Clinical Director of Child and Adolescent Services at Eating Recovery Center, discusses whether fat talk is a new phenomenon, its effect on kids, how parents can help and much more. Click here to read Dr. Easton’s interview in its entirety.
Q: Do you think there’s more fat talk today then there was a few decades or even a decade ago? Is this a new phenomenon?
A: I do believe “fat talk” has increased in the last decade, for both adults and children. I’m not sure it’s a “new phenomenon” because it’s human nature to want something different than what we have. Straight-haired woman envy curly-haired women; curly-haired women envy straight-haired women, etc. We generally look for what is more envied or valued, and then strive for that.
“Skinniness” has been highly valued in our society for several decades, but now it’s not just in magazines and on television. It’s on the Internet and readily assessable through blogs, tweets, websites about dieting and even pro-eating disorders websites. If desired, people can be inundated with “fat talk” 24 hours a day with just one “click.”
Q: What are the consequences of fat talk?
A: Any time we contribute to the dialogue about “skinny is pretty,” we are devaluing body acceptance. We learn how to assess our bodies based on our environment. If we buy into or even just allow “fat talk” to occur around us, we are creating an environment that perpetuates “good” versus “bad” body types.
Negative body image is an easy hook for individuals who struggle with self-esteem or identity to latch onto as a way to feel more confident and even accepted by others.
I hear children and teens talk about this dynamic daily at Eating Recovery Center’s Behavioral Hospital for Children and Adolescents. Somewhere along the way they learned: skinny equals acceptance.
Posted in General, In the News, Latest Research, Treatment Options •
Eating Recovery Center In the News: The Denver Post
Body obsession fills void left by sports
The Denver Post features insights from Dr. Craig Johnson, Eating Recovery Center’s Chief Clinical Officer, in a recent article detailing the incidence of eating disorders in athletes.
Researcher Johnson, chief clinical officer of the Eating Recovery Center in Denver, said one reason former athletes are at risk is that schools and coaches lose track of them once they retire. “The NCAA is focused on the athletes that are immediately in their purview,” he said. “Once the athletes have moved out of their oversight, they don’t really have the resources to follow them.”
Read the full article here.
Posted in General, In the News, Latest Research •
Eating Recovery Center In the News: University Business
Behind the News
“There needs to be a lot of education of faculty and staff, much like has previously been done with coaches of female athletes,” says Emmett R. Bishop, co-founder and director of outpatient services and research at the center. “Colleges need to really focus on making their faculty more aware of these problems so that they can be addressed. At a minimum, schools should consider setting up some sort of a screening program through their health services that can help direct people to treatment and/or higher level treatment centers.”
Read the whole story, spurred by the Center’s research on eating disorder resources, here.
Posted in General, In the News, Latest Research •
Eating Recovery Center In the News: Reuters.com
“Recent research shows that eating disorders on college campuses are
increasing in prevalence across the U.S., students are unwilling to seek
treatment, and many campuses lack the resources to assist students with
these diseases.”
Read the full story here.
Posted in In the News, Latest Research •
Survey of Higher Education Professionals Shows Increase in Prevalence of Eating Disorders on Campus, Student Unwillingness to Seek Treatment
Recent research shows that eating disorders on college campuses are increasing in prevalence across the U.S., students are unwilling to seek treatment, and many campuses lack the resources to assist students with these diseases. These trends were revealed in a March 2010 survey of higher education professionals conducted by Eating Recovery Center, a licensed and Joint Commission accredited behavioral hospital providing comprehensive treatment and sustainable recovery for eating disorders, and the Enrollment and Retention Services Division of EducationDynamics, higher education’s leading marketing and information services company dedicated to helping institutions find, enroll and retain students.
The eating disorder survey was completed by 108 higher education professionals from across the U.S. The majority of respondents are employed by public, four-year and private not-for-profit four-year universities. However, private for-profit four-year, private two-year and vocational institutions were also represented. Counseling staff represented 42 percent of survey respondents, with Student Health and Wellness and Student Affairs professionals representing the remaining majority.
“The two major life transitions that most commonly contribute to the onset of an eating disorder are puberty and leaving for college,” said Kenneth L. Weiner, MD, CEDS, founding partner and medical director of Eating Recovery Center. “The survey’s finding that students are not seeking help is alarming – especially considering the fact that eating disorders are the deadliest mental illness.”
Among 108 respondents from higher education institutions across the country, 57 percent believe that there is an increasing trend in the number of college students with eating disorders. In addition:
• 48 percent of respondents estimate that less than five percent of their college student population either has or displays signs of an eating disorder;
• 37 percent estimate that six to 10 percent of students have or display signs of an eating disorder;
• 11 percent estimate that 11 to 20 percent of students have or display signs of an eating disorder; and
• three percent of respondents estimate that 21 to 30 percent of students have or display signs of an eating disorder.
Although respondents indicated that eating disorders are increasing in prevalence on their campuses, 80 percent of respondents felt that their institution’s eating disorder resources are sometimes, rarely or never used. Furthermore, nearly 40 percent of respondents also rated the eating disorder resources provided by their college or university as inadequate or non-existent.
When asked what the staff and faculty identify as barriers preventing students from seeking treatment, higher education professionals point to the following:
• Students are unwilling to seek treatment (82%)
• Students do not know that they have an eating disorder (48%)
• Students lack awareness of school’s treatment resources (34%)
• Students are embarrassed to seek treatment (28%)
• Campus lacks on-campus treatment resources (28%)
• Perceived lack of anonymity in treatment (23%)
• Staff and faculty do not know where to refer students (18%)
• Students do not need to seek treatment (8%)
“These findings make clear both the growing prevalence of eating disorders on college campuses throughout the country and the significant barriers that prohibit students from seeking treatment,” stated John Mathew, president of EducationDynamics’ Enrollment and Retention Services Division. “In our own programming for student health and wellness, we find that students are increasingly drawn to the more anonymous and interactive resources such as the self-assessment Eating Disorder Scale: Are You at Risk?”
Eating Recovery Center and EducationDynamics are currently producing a college eating disorder white paper that discusses the survey results in further detail and provides resources and tactics for improving student access to eating disorder resources. The white paper will be available in early August.
To request a copy, please contact Eating Recovery Center or visit http://www.educationdynamics.com/EDD/ContactForm.aspx.
About Eating Recovery Center
Eating Recovery Center, situated at the foot of the Rockies in beautiful downtown Denver, Colorado, provides individuals 17 and older sustainable recovery from eating disorders in a warm, nurturing environment. Our comprehensive program offers patients from across the country a continuum of care that includes inpatient, residential, partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient and outpatient services in a licensed and Joint Commission accredited behavioral hospital setting. Our compassionate team of professionals collaborates with treating professionals and loved ones to cultivate lasting behavioral change. For more information, please call 877-218-1344, e-mail info@EatingRecoveryCenter.com or chat with us confidentially on our website.
About EducationDynamics
EducationDynamics is higher education’s leading marketing information and technology services company dedicated to helping institutions find, enroll and retain students. Its content-rich and highly visible education websites, including EarnMyDegree.com, eLearners.com, GradSchools.com, StudyAbroad.com and its more than 50 special interest microsites, make EducationDynamics the premier provider of qualified prospective students for colleges and universities. In addition, the company offers a full suite of Web-delivered services proven to drive enrollment growth, reduce student attrition and support student health and wellness. Through its Market Research and Advisory Services, the company brings a decade of proprietary research, unparalleled market and student intelligence, and best practice insights to its clients. EducationDynamics is a portfolio company of Halyard Capital. For more information, visit http://www.educationdynamics.com.
Posted in In the News, Latest Research, Press Releases •
