School Experience Can be Filled with Pressure and Emotions
Students of all grade levels, from elementary to college, will head back to school with many pressures and emotions. For female students in particular, developing an eating disorder is becoming more likely.
The idea of “summer fun” has ended, the idea of stress and homework becomes apparent, and also the idea of a social life adds new pressures into the mix. Many kids focus on the pressures being popular, some just trying to find a place where they fit in.
A lot of times these social pressures can manifest physically, with young teens and children trying to be an ideal body size and weight, just like they see portrayed in magazine and movie icons they idolize. With the obsession of weight and body image growing, education and treatment for eating disorders has become more and more crucial. Students and parents need to be educated about the potential problems and physical harm that can result, and everyone needs to be aware that support and help is available.
According to the National Eating Disorders Association, as many as one million males and ten million females are fighting a life and death battle with bulimia or anorexia nervosa. On an even bigger scale, over twenty-five million people are fighting binge eating each year. Because these numbers are continuing to increase, body image and eating disorders have become a growing concern in schools around the country.
Kimberly Dennis, medical director at Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center, asserts "This is an especially critical time to be aware of potential problems and watch for warning signs. During this time when schedules change drastically with the start of school, and new pressures are added into the mix, children and young adults can be more susceptible to body image issues and concerns."
Some warning signs of a potential problem:
-refusing to eat
-difficult time concentrating
-denial of hunger
-obsession with body shape and size
-little to no self esteem
-making excuses for not eating
-skipping meals
-eating only a certain type of foods
In order to improve body image distortions, the first step can be critical. Recognizing these signs and symptoms can save a loved one. Through an early intervention, treatment, and extensive therapy, a new and positive body image can be restored and a free life from obsession can be created.
