UM Counseling Services Recognizes National Eating Disorders Week

HottyToddy.com recognizes that National Eating Disorders Awareness Week is Feb. 23- March 1.

Eating disorders are serious mental conditions that affect 20 million American women and 10 million American men.
Sally Sullivan, a counselor at the University Counseling Center, explains that 95 percent of those suffering with eating disorders fall between the ages of 12-26.
“25 percent of college-age women engage in the dangerous binge/purge cycle of bulimia in an attempt to either maintain or lose weight,” Sullivan said.
While Sullivan does not feel eligible to answer whether that statistic is true to the Ole Miss student body, she does believe that there are lots of individuals struggling with eating disorders on campus.
“Sadly, many of these individuals never seek help,” said Sullivan.
Sullivan hosts a weekly group counseling session at the University Counseling Center titled “Making Peace With Food.” This group is geared toward students who struggle every day with food and their body. “Making Peace With Food” meets every Tuesday from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.
Student Health Services dedicates a section of their online website to explaining the different types of eating disorders, including anorexia, bulimia and binge eating. According to their website, the health consequences of these disorders are severe and may include reduction of bone density, muscle loss, fainting and tooth decay. To learn more, visit https://healthpromotion.olemiss.edu/eating-disorders/.
If you believe you have an eating disorder, or if you know of someone who does, please call the Counseling Center (915-3784) and set up an appointment.
For more information about National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, visit their website at https://nedawareness.org.

Emily Xie is a staff writer at hottytoddy.com. She can be contacted at yxie3@go.olemiss.edu.