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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 26, 1981)
Food Service Good Morning! 2 Homemade Donuts French Roast Coffee or ^ Hot Chocolate .50* Skylight Refectory 9-1000 am Be anything you want to be ■ ■ ■ yum Custom faces will be made starting Friday, Oct. 23rd. uo BOOKSTORE 13tti & Kincaid Mon-Fri 8 15-5:30 Sa’ 10 00-5:30 Textsoocs U4-352C J«ne-a Boo*' M4-3S10 SuOfes MC-4331 SUPER VALUE COUPON DUPLICATE SLIDES * t?6 >•*«’ OAi» i*> o»d#< 10 ”$2.29 Pe« Cvsiompt C4S* v A'ur » ?0 o' On# C#« MUSI (CCUMPINT Jftuil Film Developing Specials ^r«»rial onHc 1H /Q1 /D1 __ * SUPER VALUE COUPON Special ends 10/31/81 One day service COLOR COPY PRINTS on' you* >i j'-tiA i’ »vie * punis Om i, vk^km' P*< Lwiipn*1 »W>P«<>vaI .* i VA*u# 1 «> COUPON MUM AUOMPkNI OtMl M ""'« ■»» Page 8 UO Bookstore 13th & Kincaid Mon-Fri 8 15-5:30 BOOKSTORE Sat 10 00-5 30 H*ltKH>k> —4-3MO • U*I>»I«| Books MO-tSIO • SuppJx mic v. The Magic Puzzler Upstairs in the Book Dept. Sale ends 10/31 /81 $2.98 Reg. $3.95 UO BOOKSTORE 13th & Kincaid Mon-Fri 8 15-5 30 Sat 10:00-5:30 Textbooks 686-3520 General Books 686-3510 Supplies 666-4331 Anorexia Nervosa Ashamed about a desire for food Linaa looks like a typical college woms* although her friends worry that she is too thin She doesn t eat every day but when she does gr down to the dorm cafeteria alone for breaMas? she eats a dozen eggs and a loaf of bread SN knows she won t gam weight because tmme diately after eating she rushes to the bathroo1" nght ouside the dining room and vomits Linda s problem ts more than a diet gone ou of control — she has anorexia nervosa Victim: voluntarily starve themselves to boney emaciatior — and sometimes to death Mortality rates rur between 5 and 15 percent of the recognize; cases of anorexia says Dr Josephine von Hippe a Eugene psychiatrist Anorexia nervosa nervous loss o appetite is not an entirely accurate term Victim! of the disease are usually ravenously hungry anc obsessed with food although they will say the) are not hungry and will eat only a tiny amount One anorexic angrily refuted the charge that sh« didn't have breakfast "I ate my Cheerio sh< insisted Some anorexics don't starve themselves bu instead vomit after eating normal amounts o food von Hippel says Sometimes anorexics can control their overpowering appetite and will ea an enormous quantity of food Then they wil empty themselves of the hateful food by vomitinc or using laxatives The opposite effect is found in Bulimia or insatiable appetite " Bulimarexia is what some experts call a combination of bulimia and anorexia The binge-purge behavior is harder to detect because the person keeps the eat-vomit ritual private and often maintains a normal weight Both anorexics and bulimics want to remain thin and maintain control over their intake of food They are ashamed about their desire for food says von Hippel "They feel guilty about eating then they feel guilty about throwing up About 95 percent of all anorexics are women usually between 12-18 years old Experts estimate - *• woman out of 100 will suffer from some eating diso'de' during her life Now reaching epidemic proportions anorexia prevails among the middle -<C>per classes of developed countries, says von Htppe Christine 18 years old, became anorexic *'■' •* s*ay at college She had always been the mode ch d seemingly normal, happy, and • we adjusted Once in college, Christine studied ' omputs-veiy satisfied with nothing but the best grades He' weight dropped from 120 lbs to 110 bs r her first term at school When she weighed 4 pounds college officials insisted on treatment Dr H Ida Bruch, author of "The Golden Cage and Eating Disorders,' describes Chris i * ne s case as being fairly typical Bruch's explanation focuses on the "model child' aspect i developed in one of her books Anorexics strive to be perfect on the outside Lurking beneath their ‘ awiess surface is a terrible insecurity and fear of not meeting everyone s expectations The anorexic has always been accomoda ting tor someone else,” von Hippel says “They’ve [ grown up doing things not for themselves, but for i other people They do what others tell them to — [ first their parents, then teachers, then their spouses boss and children They don't know what they want for themselves Von Hippel lists three major precipitating ‘actors Separation from home, such as going away to college takes anorexics away from their support group the family Change hits them particularly hard often anorexics can't adapt to the new life While they may do well in a competi tive atmosphere they feel insecure about the competition Anorexics have a difficult time making deci sions and can't say no von Hippel says This makes sexual pressure, in a permissive envi ronment like college a dilemma Anorexics don't have a lot of energy, she says, and just lose sexual interest Losing weight, becoming more child-like and avoiding sexual activity are ways of escaping the responsibility of maturing into adulthood. some experts say Family conflict may also aggravate anorexic or bulimic behavior Anorexics often come from rigid and unemotional families, with parents who don't communicate their feelings very well A child may turn to anorexia in order to gam her parents' attention and divert them from fighting with each other The bottom line is control Anorexics focus on food by denying their hunger, says Sue Balint. coordinator of an eating disorders group in Eugene Anorexia is their strength, the one thing they can do better than anyone, Balint says Through their disease they have the strength and motiva tion to avoid eating Rather than spending time discussing symp toms, Balint's support group looks at the underlying causes for group members' eating disorders They discuss options for control that are not so life threatening, Balint says such as saying no by using voice instead of behavior The group focuses on seeking a solution ' It's not necessary to badmouth anyone,” Balint says "Anorexia and bulimia are adjectives That means they can be chopped off Behavior can change ” The group is certified by Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders and by the American Anorexia Nervosa Association, Balint says It meets once every week for eight weeks The group's local phone number is 344-4139 Bulimarexia is a problem in University dorms, dietician Jan Huffman says She says that several housekeepers and resident assistants noticed signs of vomiting this summer Carson housekeeper Marie Chenowith became alerted to the problem after seeing a television movie last spring about anorexia Chenowith says she isn't complaining about cleaning up the mess, but is concerned about the students' health "One day I approached a girl who lived on a floor with beautiful girls and several models," Chenowith says "I thought the reason (she was throwing up) was to be "in' with them, not to be fat Evidently, I must have talked to the right girl and she quit, or else she found another bathroom to use " Anorexics and bulimics share several characteristics Balint says their symptoms are excessive dieting, drastic weight loss, sleeplessness, extreme perfectionism, denial of hunger, and stubborn refusal to see themselves as thin Anorexia athletica" could be an alternative title for the disorder "Certain subcultures — gymnists, ballet dancers and long distance runners — find that they have to maintain a certain body image." says Dr Steven Roy, Center for Sportsmedicme and Running Injuries in Eugene People who have dificulty in looking a certain way may find that they have to develop an aversion for food Von Hippel says anorexics and bulimics are extremists "You're either thin or fat There s no in-between They think one bite is going to blow them up to 300 pounds Anorexia is not a biological problem, even though certain chemical changes may occur in the body due to starvation von Hippel says. Treatment is more effective when behavior is caught in the early stages The longer the behavior has been going on, the longer it takes to cure she says She estimates that one-third to one-half of all untreated anorexics and bulimics retain the symptoms throughout their life There is no time to fool around and think it will go away,' Bruch warns One of the unusual aspects of the disease is a distorted perception of self Anorexics see themselves as being undesireably fat although they resemble walking skeltons to onlookers Friends of suspected anorexics or bulimics can help by confronting the victim with concern and worry over their health Anorexics rarely see themselves as sick and usually will not seek treatment themselves Concerned friends or relatives should seek medical assistance in advanced cases, and psy chiatric help is recommended Anorexia nervosa is more complicated - and more serious - than just being skinny. Story by Carol Morton Photo by David Corey
