Spring Break
Andrea's Voice Explores Bulemia
Joanna Arpie
Issue date: 2/27/08 Section: Focus
Another point made by Doris and Tom, is that often food has very little to do with an eating disorder. Often there are psychological factors such as low self-esteem or depression which cause people to use food as a way to gain some kind of control in their lives. Sometimes a traumatic experience can cause a person to fall into an eating disorder. Biology may be another factor because some people are more susceptible to eating disorders than others. As well, there are social factors that contribute to people's obsessions with their bodies as a result of the pressure from the media to fit a certain image.
"Dieting involves deprivation, sacrifice and guilt-all things that are not good for ourselves," said Doris.
Dieting is estimated to be a $50 million industry, indicates just how big of an obsession it has become in our society. Andrea reached a point where she was eating so little and exercising so much that her metabolism decreased and her body reacted in such a way that it felt it was experiencing a famine.
"When you eat so little, your body is being starved and so it saves the fat and deteriorates your muscle," Tom said.
Ultimately, the body can only handle so much, Doris said. "When we war with our bodies our biology will always win."
Eating disorders are not something to be taken lightly, and they are not something easily overcome. For many the symptoms of eating disorders are visable years before the actual disorder occurs, and to remove those behaviors from a person takes a lot of work.
Kathy Hampton, an eating disorder counselor at UConn commented, "Treatment for an eating disorder must deal with the underlying causes. People who suffer from eating disorders usually use food as a way to cope with feelings, and so other than simply stopping the disorder, the person has to find a way to identify with what they're feeling rather than search for a way to numb it."
Smeltzer's story is certainly not a happy one. And sadly, there are thousands more just like it. The idea of using the body as a way to perfect one's life is something that has become a common practice in today's society. Doris spoke about a magazine editor who said that when a story is going to run, the editors ask whether or not it will make women feel bad about their bodies. If the answer is yes, the story is a go.
Contact Joanna Arpie at Joanna.Arpie@UConn.edu
"Dieting involves deprivation, sacrifice and guilt-all things that are not good for ourselves," said Doris.
Dieting is estimated to be a $50 million industry, indicates just how big of an obsession it has become in our society. Andrea reached a point where she was eating so little and exercising so much that her metabolism decreased and her body reacted in such a way that it felt it was experiencing a famine.
"When you eat so little, your body is being starved and so it saves the fat and deteriorates your muscle," Tom said.
Ultimately, the body can only handle so much, Doris said. "When we war with our bodies our biology will always win."
Eating disorders are not something to be taken lightly, and they are not something easily overcome. For many the symptoms of eating disorders are visable years before the actual disorder occurs, and to remove those behaviors from a person takes a lot of work.
Kathy Hampton, an eating disorder counselor at UConn commented, "Treatment for an eating disorder must deal with the underlying causes. People who suffer from eating disorders usually use food as a way to cope with feelings, and so other than simply stopping the disorder, the person has to find a way to identify with what they're feeling rather than search for a way to numb it."
Smeltzer's story is certainly not a happy one. And sadly, there are thousands more just like it. The idea of using the body as a way to perfect one's life is something that has become a common practice in today's society. Doris spoke about a magazine editor who said that when a story is going to run, the editors ask whether or not it will make women feel bad about their bodies. If the answer is yes, the story is a go.
Contact Joanna Arpie at Joanna.Arpie@UConn.edu
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