Why the first years away from home are a perfect storm for anorexia and bulimia?

Eating disorder can and do occur in teenagers, and even in young children. But it’s during the college years that young people, especially young women, are most at risk for developing them.

The challenges of college life,disorders, the most common of which are anorexia and bulimia

The storm occurs when the realities of college life—increased workload, less structure, and more focus on peers—collide with anxieties or  poor self esteem. A young woman who was able to manage stress and stay afloat during high school with a lot of hard work and support from her parents might find herself drowning in the confusing, complicated world of college. Eating disorders develop when the need to feel control over a stressful environment is channeled through food restriction, over-exercise, and an unhealthy focus on health.

“It asks young people who are not yet adults to act in a very adult way, especially if they’re contending with mental illness and suddenly have to begin managing it on their own.”

Full-blown eating disorders typically begin between 18 and 21 years of age, it is estimates that between 10-20% women and 4 to 10% of men in college suffer from an eating disorder, and rates are on the rise.

A need for control

Kids who are at risk for anorexia or bulimia might have struggled with a need for control in day-to-day life before college, breaking down when work from home wasn’t perfect, or feeling terrible about themselves when activities didn’t go as planned. But college life is substantially more difficult to manage.

It’s not just the increased workload and the disruption of an accustomed schedule. It’s also a whole new set of peers who are unpredictable, starting with a new roommate (and that roommate’s love of death metal, or late-night visits from her significant other).

And managing your food intake in college, famous for midnight pizza runs and all-you-can eat dining halls, is a whole new ballgame. Unscheduled, unhealthy eating can cause problems for anyone, but for students struggling with eating issues it can wreak havoc on self-control and self-esteem.

Bulimic patterns can be triggered when students try and fail to stick to unreasonably restrictive diets, something many college’s buffet dining halls and late-night Easy Mac make even more difficult. Slip-ups on a diet can lead to binges, which in turn bring on feelings of shame and guilt, and the cycle begins anew.

Disordered eating versus eating disorder

When does dieting become a serious disorder?

Teenagers have strange eating habits, but it’s a long trip from attempts at losing the freshman 15 to a full-blown eating disorder.

“Not everyone who goes on a diet will develop a formal disorder,” explains Dr. Bunnell. “The difference is a function of latent vulnerabilities and genetics. There’s a continuum. At the high end would be anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder, and at the low end you have disordered eating.”

Disordered eating behavior ranges from fad dieting, or attempts at “clean” eating by restricting fats, dairy, or gluten, to more severe manifestations such as over-exercising, abusing laxatives, binging, or purging, which are serious, but don’t yet meet the criteria for an eating disorder.

An eating disorder when these behaviors are sustained over time—becoming dangerous, all-consuming and unmanageable.

When trying to determine if habits are simply disordered eating or something more serious, Dr. Bunnell says it’s important to look at the impact they have in other areas of life. “To what extent do the eating, weight, shape, body image concerns really start to dominate? For example you decide not to go to a party because you’re too worried about your weight, or you can’t enjoy any beach activities because you won’t put on a bathing suit. If someone is starting to withdraw from normal activities because of anxieties about eating, weight, and shape that would be cause for concern.”