Local community discusses eating disorders and body image
Introduction
Eating disorders are classified as serious and sometimes fatal illnesses that can cause significant ailments to one’s overall mental and physical health. Local Ventura County healthcare professionals, experts, students and community members have shared their insights and experiences with eating disorders and the impact of social media on self-perception.
Information
Disordered eating includes a range of mental conditions that are associated with a continuous disturbance of eating behaviors and an impairment of one’s health. According to the National Institute of Mental Health [NIH], “obsessions with food, body weight, and shape may signal an eating disorder.”
Rachel McMurray, merit licensed private practice therapist based in Camarillo, treats adolescents who struggle with disordered eating. McMurray notes that body-image is a leading motivator of disordered eating habits, but it can often be used as a way to feel a sense of control in ones’ life. “A lot of [people with eating disorders] are in some type of a storm, and the eating disorder is the life raft that saved them, until it becomes the thing that is drowning them,” McMurray said. 
There are multiple types of eating disorders and no one’s experience is the same. Anorexia, binge eating disorder and bulimia are the most common, according to the NIH. “[Eating disorders] are similar to substance-use disorders [because] they are medically involved and life-or-death stakes a lot of the time,” McMurray said.
Anorexia nervosa is characterized by restricted eating, often leading to low-body weight and disturbed perception of body image and weight. “Anorexia nervosa specifically has the highest mortality rates of any mental health disorder, and that is because of suicide. […] One in five people with anorexia are at risk of killing themselves,” McMurray said.
Binge eating disorder involves impulsively eating large quantities of food in a short amount of time without feeling in control of the action. “Some [binge eat] to either repress feelings or to deal with stress, or even to change body shape […] For instance, a sexual trauma survivor, would be literally keeping a barrier between [themself] and other people,” McMurray said.
Bulimia nervosa is a disorder characterized by a cycle of eating normal to large quantities of food, then compensating through various means, such as “purging” or forcing oneself to throw up. “You can die of a heart attack with one intense binge-purge cycle and just be done. You can have bowel perforations, a dead esophagus, etcetera. So all these things have huge medical implications and obviously psychological implications,” McMurray said.
Student Experiences
*Pseudonyms are indicated with an asterisk to protect students’ identities
A survey done by the Mental Health Foundation released that 40 percent of adolescents felt insecure about their bodies after looking at photos on social media. Jessica Wardhoff* has experienced feeling self conscious because of social media comments and trends. “It’s good to promote a healthy lifestyle, but sometimes that can demonize those [who] aren’t healthy. So [saying], ‘you’re not healthy, you don’t have any worth,’ that’s not okay. I think […] just minding your own business, should be more promoted,” Warhoff said.
Catherine Carter* has had amplified body image issues since entering high school and downloading social media. She explained that seeing others online who fit the “ideal” body type often makes her feel insecure and self-critical, even if she knows those standards are unrealistic. “When I watch TikTok or Instagram and see someone with the body I want, I start comparing myself without even realizing it,” Carter said.
Carter has struggled with disordered eating for years. “I began to purge and restrict my eating. I grew weak and began to think that it was normal solely on what I was seeing online,” Carter said. Carter feels that it would be hard to consume content without thinking these thoughts. “Although I want to grow beyond this idealization of a dream body, I don’t think I will see the day where I won’t think about it,” Carter said.
The perpetuation of societal standards in both social media and real life has led to internalized negative body image for many individuals. Morgan Hill* feels that their appearance has impacted how they have been treated. “My whole life, I’ve always been made fun of for the way I looked, so I had a lot of insecurity around it because of that. […] For a long time, it felt one dimensional in the way that [I thought] ‘Oh, I’m just fat and I’m ugly,’” Hill said.
In addition to the influence of social media on adolescents, athletes are 11 percent more likely to exhibit signs of disordered eating, according to a study by the NIH. In combat sports, such as high school wrestling, athletes have to meet a specific weight requirement to compete, which often involves losing weight on a deadline. This practice is known as “cutting” weight.
As a part of the wrestling team, Trinady Orozco, junior, believes that the action of cutting is often fueled by wrestlers not wanting to disappoint their teammates. “You don’t want to let your team down and be an ounce over, or a pound over, and not be able to wrestle at your weight class,” Orozco said. “It is a very big side of ‘maybe I shouldn’t eat that because I have to make weight,’ or ‘I can’t enjoy this because I’m gonna have to lose weight, maybe I’m fat right now.’”
Support at NPHS
At NPHS, teachers aim to educate students on nutrition and eating disorders and nutrition through various classes. Lorena Caulfield, NPHS health department chair and teacher of Sports Medicine and Medical Terminology embraces education surrounding eating disorders and body image issues in her classroom. “I think [it’s beneficial] encouraging a healthy lifestyle overall like we do in physical education classes and PE classes, taking your foods and nutrition class, where you can learn about healthy eating as well,” Caulfield said.
Often, the goal of support resources is to identify the cause of an individual’s struggle with their body image before helping them recover. “I knew somebody who had two sisters who had eating disorders, one was bulimia, and one was an over-exerciser. […] There’s different triggers for different things. The older sister did it because she was an athlete, and that’s what gave her the charge, and so she had to stay in shape. That was a pressure she felt, so it is different for everybody,” Caulfield said.
Nearly half of teenagers between the ages of 13 and 17 years old reported feeling worse about their body image due to social media, and people who spend over three hours daily on social media are twice as likely to develop eating disorders, according to the Eating Recovery Center.
Tracey McTigue, mental health clinician and head of the Wellness Center for four years, has observed how body standards set by social media have directly impacted students. “When people have such instantaneous access to social media, through their phones or their Chromebooks, and have that availability [to see social media] day in and day out, being bombarded by people who look perfect or [as if] they’re leading perfect lives, […] that can affect your psyche when none of that is real,” McTigue said. “The important thing [to ask yourself] is ‘am I being authentic to who I am?’”
Conclusion
Eating disorders are classified as serious and sometimes fatal illnesses that affect a number of teenagers in the community. Students and specialists have discussed how disordered eating has been affected by several factors such as social media, athletic expectations and societal pressure. As more and more students struggle with disordered eating, it is important to remember the resources that are available. Students struggling with body-image and eating behaviors are encouraged to visit the Wellness Center, seek out resources from the National Eating Disorder Association website and speak to a trusted adult. “You’re not broken. You’re trying to survive. These things are very treatable. It’s not a death sentence,” McMurray said.
