Last week was national eating disorder week, and Linda Wetzel, registered dietitian and licensed medical nutrition therapist, gave a presentation about understanding eating disorders on Wednesday.

 
“Food is not the issue, it’s body ownership,” Wetzel said.

 
Eating disorders tend to be more mental than purely physical afflictions.

 
Some eating disorders discussed were bulimia, binge eating disorder and anorexia.

 
Bulimia is a disorder that consists of binge eating, often followed by purging. These individuals often want to change because they do want to vomit.

 
Binge eating disorder causes the individual to eat an unusually large amount of food. However, that person does not follow this up with purging or excessive exercise. This often causes that individual to become overweight.

 
Anorexia is the affliction when a person has an abnormally low body weight, and the individual acts in compulsive exercise.

 
“The hardest disorder to work with is anorexia because they are so controlled,” Wetzel said.

 
Some ways to help prevent eating disorders include: avoiding commenting on others’ looks, being a good role model, avoiding classifying foods as healthy or unhealthy and by not assuming someone is healthy or unhealthy.

 
Treatment for eating disorders may include therapy, nutrition counseling, support groups or residential treatments. Recovery requires acknowledgment of the problem and identifying feelings along with expressing needs and communicating those feelings.

 
Anyone in need of help for an eating disorder or other physical or psychological issues can contact the Counseling Center at 402-375-7321 or stop by the Student Center room 103.