Active Minds: Learn from the Professionals - Eating Disorders

Skidmore College Active Minds put together a panel for National Eating Disorders awareness week. Modern Therapy spoke alongside nutritionist Elyn Zimmerman about the prevalence of eating disorders on college campuses.

Students participated in the discussion, sharing personal campus experiences with eating disorders. It is inspiring to see how active minds chapters are changing how students look at college mental health and continue to break down stigma.

We shared some statistics from the National Eating Disorder Association:

1) 30 million people in the US suffer from an eating disorder

2) Eating disorders have the highest fatality rate of all psychological disorders

3) 1/3 die from illness complications, 1/3 remain chronicially ill, and 1/3 recover.

We then discussed the three areas of recovery:

1) Physical recovery - involves normalization of the physical effects of the eating disorder

2) Behavioral Recovery - reducing the restricting, purging, and/or binging

3) Psychological Recovery - addressing the cognitive and emotional aspects of the eating disorder

Finally, we spoke about the steps to recovery:

1) Address immediate medical concens

2) Reduce or eliminate disordered eating disorders

3) Address co-occuring issues such as depression, anxiety, or trauma

4) Develop a plan to prevent relapse