Kolby Hamilton
Fall 2023
When hearing the term “eating disorder”, it is likely most people’s first thought is of particular disorders like anorexia or bulimia, or in other instances the thought that eating disorders are experienced by people seeking attention from others. This kind of thinking is often inspired or prompted through various forms of media, whether it be social media, television, films, or other mediums of entertainment or information. For example, a study in 2019 found that 9% of the health misinformation on social media pertained to eating disorders (Eating Disorders Review). Much of this information includes pro-eating disorder topics and discussions across various social media platforms, with many groups and/or postings using eating disorder recovery methods and fitness plans in a harmful way to promote eating disorders. This is especially true in what is known online as “pro-ana”, or pro-anorexia language promoting the disordered eating habits of anorexia nervosa. This is most commonly seen in terms of social media platforms and apps, as users can slightly change the dialogue and certain texts to escape the grasp of monitors set in place through the platform, enabling them to share these forms of misinformation with others around the world. The question of how eating disorders and forms of media are related can be answered through this example here – misinformation, harmful media, and other cultural references about physical appearances make a clear point: it can be seen that there is an issue between making a distinction between what is real and what is fiction, causing a rise in mental health concerns and issues, ranging from anxiety to body dysmorphia to eating disorders, in many experiences as a result of not achieving the “perfect body” romanticized in this very media.
These initial thoughts and others like them, while not always harmful, can be and are harmful to those with or who have experienced eating disorders, as they place a stigma and misrepresentation on and around eating disorders as a whole. This has a large effect on millions of people, especially those aged 18 to 21, which is the age range most eating disorders occur, which is the average age of the typical college student in the United States. The National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA) has estimated that there will be about 10 million men and more than 20 million women who will develop an eating disorder in their lifetime (NEDA).
This project, while it will include the warning signs and symptoms of various eating disorders, isn’t intended to simply reiterate information available to anyone with Internet access. It is important to note that while eating disorders are often seen and are personal affairs an individual experiences both mentally and physically, their effect spans beyond themselves to their friends and family, as well as having an impact on the social standards we have in our society today that still struggles to be reformed. The purpose I have intended with this project is to address what eating disorders are, how they are commonly represented, individuals and their family and friends around them, and connect this information to Oklahoma State University by entertaining and exploring the idea of the “Cowboy Family”.
To address the issues of eating disorders, it is necessary to start at the base point, which is to identify them in three main distinctions: mental, physical, and emotional. In terms of physical changes, the individual’s weight will fluctuate up and down, but it can also primarily go one of two ways depending on the disorder and the individual. For example, one of the main differences in the diagnosis of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa is that anorexia diagnosis’, involves the individual partaking in self-starvation and weight loss of 15 percent or more of their desired “perfect” body weight, whereas individuals with bulimia nervosa are typically at normal weight or above it (Johns Hopkins Medicine). In terms of statistics, about 9% of the U.S. population will have an eating disorder in their lifetime, which is roughly 29 million people. As for risks of weight changes and effects, less than 6% of those with an eating disorder are medically considered or diagnosed as underweight; however, those in larger bodies are at a higher risk of developing an eating disorder, with it being seen that the higher the body mass index (BMI) in an individual, the higher their risk is (ANAD).
Using a mental approach to eating disorders, we can see the underlying causes many of them have. The most common eating disorders are anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder. Anorexia nervosa is most commonly defined as an eating disorder focused on self-starvation, extreme concern with body size and weight, and often a hyperfixation of exercise, calorie intake, and dieting (Psychiatry.org). Bulimia nervosa is similar to anorexia but while the two have common symptoms, they are still identified as two different disorders. A main difference between the two is that in the case of bulimia, the individual likely binges, often in secret as a result of the shameful feeling invoked, causing them to oftentimes lose control over their food intake, ultimately leading to purging in the hopes of ridding their body of the extra calories in an unhealthy approach (Mayo Clinic). Binge-eating disorder is defined as the act of binge-eating episodes, in which an individual will often continue eating past the point of satiety as a result of feelings of lack or loss of control, stress, shame, or guilt (Psychiatry.org). While these three eating disorders are the most common, it is important to acknowledge the presence of others, while they may not be at the forefront of appearances in terms of statistics, they are still real, relevant, and important to the plan of change.
As previously stated, it is important to acknowledge lesser-known eating disorders to understand the effect they have on both individuals and those in society. Lesser-known eating disorders include orthorexia and pica. Orthorexia is a disorder entailing a hyperfixation of “healthy” eating. Orthorexia causes a person to categorize their food, typically in ways of labeling them with words like “pure” or “unhealthy”. The individual will focus on foods deemed healthy, such as chicken or vegetables, and remove foods deemed unhealthy from their diet, oftentimes removing them completely due to unhealthy behaviors and thinking of weight and health if they were to consume said unhealthy foods. Pica is an eating disorder that is seen as more behavioral than most, as it is a disorder in which a person will regularly consume things that aren’t considered food, or items that don’t have nutritional value. While many disorders are focused on food and weight, pica isn’t inherently associated with food; individuals with pica will often ingest materials or objects such as dirt, paint chips, or rocks. It is generally understood that those diagnosed with eating disorders feel a sense of fear. Still, the thought that it can be more frightening for an individual who is diagnosed with a disorder of lower profile doesn’t occur often (Monte Nido). This feeling of fear mixed with a disorder of lower profile and awareness can result in an individual’s decision to not seek treatment out of feelings of invalidation from society. To change this, we must first acknowledge and understand that the emotional aspect of eating disorders is just as impactful as both the mental and physical aspects. Only then are we as a society able to identify areas of concern that need attention and improvement. First, it is necessary to understand that the emotional aspect of eating disorders directly affects the individual diagnosed.
To understand the emotional effect of eating disorders, an important factor to explore is the food insecurity of those with developing and/or diagnosed eating disorders in society, especially those with a lower socioeconomic status. An article from ScienceDirect has shown that in many households where food is not always accessible or sufficient, individuals in these conditions are more likely to binge eat due to varying reasons, with the main one being fear of starvation (West et al). A connection between binge eating disorders and food insecurity has been found in many studies. In several instances, individuals engage in weight control and diet behaviors to compensate for their disordered eating habits. But when these methods fail or fall short of the goals in mind of the individual, they are left with feelings of shame and guilt, causing the development of an eating disorder. As these disorders develop, individuals will experience changes in their emotional state of being. These changes include but aren’t limited to severe mood swings and shifts, depression, anxiety, and feelings of hopelessness. It is often seen that other mental illnesses have developed along with eating disorders as a result of this. Due to these difficult emotional changes and fluctuations, statistics from the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders have shown that individuals with eating disorders are 11 times more likely to commit suicide than those without eating disorder symptoms (ANAD).
It is no surprise that the emotional changes previously mentioned directly harm the individual experiencing them first-hand, but an arguably equally important harmful effect is that of the family and friends of the individual. This is because the effect on those around the individual inevitably leads to an effect on the rest of society. To seek and inspire change in the overall area of eating disorders, it is necessary to address these effects. Families play a key role in the relationships between individuals and food, especially during adolescence. Families, typically parents, are responsible for teaching their children to eat healthily and finish their meals to get all of the proper nutrients needed, often noting its importance to “grow big and strong”. Because of this important role those close to the individual play, it can lead to carrying these eating habits and relationships into adulthood, allowing the composition of factors to trouble the individual. Common behaviors in households during adolescence such as weight teasing have been shown in studies to lead to an increase in self-doubt in terms of body image and unhealthy relationships with food and eating (Cama and Peleggi).
Since we’ve addressed the effect family members have and the role they play in their children’s lives during their formative years, next is to suggest what families can aid in supporting the individual experiencing an eating disorder, starting at earlier childhood development, followed by similar family dynamics later. Reflective functioning (RF) is a term referring to the capacity to understand the underlying intentions and feelings of human behaviors. For example, when a toddler is throwing a tantrum during dinnertime, using reflective functioning can help his parents figure out that he is crying for a reason, like being hungry or disliking the food he was given. By using reflective functioning, parents can open a healthy conversation with their children about both party’s ability to self-regulate, understand, and convey their emotions to each other (Cama and Peleggi). Other methods of aiding in recovery are to promote engagement with the community around the individual, establish a new relationship built on trust and empathy, and engage in self-care activities for both the individual, their caregivers, and those supporting them (Queensland Government Health and Wellbeing); by practicing these things, it opens up a healthier way of communicating with the individual’s self as they entertain serious soul-searching practices, as well as coming to the understanding that they are not alone in their struggles when they have people they care about around them who care about them in return and wish to help them to the best of their ability. This is what results in recovery and positive recovery as the individual comes to terms with their diagnosis but also understands that while it is and will be difficult, those around them, their family and community, are there to support them in their journey of healing their body and mind. To connect the body of this work to Oklahoma State University and the “Cowboy Family”, we need to define the term, to begin with. The Cowboy Family is better described and defined not through words, necessarily, but in actions, moments, and common emotions and feelings. A staple of the Cowboy Family is the Cowboy Code, which unites the Cowboy Family under common principles to live by. Some of these principles include giving your best effort daily, finishing what you’ve started, and standing up for what matters (Welcome to the OSU Family). These codes can apply to anything and everything, especially in this paper’s work. While the Cowboy Codes are encouraging and hopeful, many students struggle when transitioning from the life they’ve known before to the new and inexperienced one that is college. Once the student has moved to college and begins to write this chapter of their life, many will find themselves understandably struggling with aspects they may not have before, such as socializing, living on their own, and adapting to change. Because of this dilemma many face, this can arguably be perceived as a second adolescence. This is because that just as the family dynamic plays a crucial role in the adolescence and coming-of-age of their children, allowing them to grow and become their own person, the lack thereof in college does the opposite; as parents often have a goal of putting their children out into the world knowing they fulfilled their duty of raising them with good morals and having a proper education, they also want to know that their child leaves home knowing who they are as a person and what that means for them and their future.
On the other hand, college can be seen as a second adolescence because of the lack of this family component. Oftentimes students know very little to no other students coming into college, leading them to start their journey off alone in a new place. While this change isn’t inherently negative, each person reacts to this event differently. Furthermore, when there is no family structure or strong central authority to look to or converse with, feelings of doubt, uncertainty, and loneliness commonly occur (Hodge). As we’ve seen earlier in this work, these feelings and emotions are basis for developing an eating disorder, which affects 10-20% of women and 4-10% of men in college. Reasoning for the development of eating disorders most often results in feelings of lack of control, which an individual often feels they gain when entertaining said eating disorder (Jacobson). As we’ve addressed how families can aid in an individual’s recovery, the role of the University and the University’s services is valuable and important, too, more specifically in that of Oklahoma State University. The Cowboy Code I believe most applies to the topics of this paper is the following: “We know challenges come with pain, but pain will not win” (Welcome to the OSU Family). This statement expresses the belief that even through difficult times and experiences, we will power through and come out on top. We see Oklahoma State University’s approach to this particular code in terms of mental health through its various mental health and counseling services offered on campus. These services consist of but aren’t limited to student counseling, alcohol & substance abuse counseling, family therapy, and more (Department of Wellness). The term Cowboy Family is a foreign one to all students at some point, even to those who’ve been inside Oklahoma State and are familiar with it. This is because while all students at Oklahoma State are considered “family”, bound together by their similar values and beliefs that drew them to this campus to begin with they are, at the end of the day, ultimately strangers to one another.
The solution to being strangers with the people who are supposed to be your newfound family (while away from your real family) in your home-away-from-home can be found simply. To create a presence of the family dynamic needed to address issues of mental health, struggling, and more specifically eating disorders, the same process used to create an individual’s core family structure applies here, too; a basis of trust towards another and ability to converse freely about anything necessary needs to be established in order for this family relationship to prosper and grow stronger. Only then is it possible to truly call this group of strangers a Cowboy Family and mean it. It is, after all, through this family dynamic, whether it be through biology or close relationships and bonds, that we find the support and strength needed to recover from eating disorders and similar issues, as well as promoting healthy living environments that inspire healthy relationships with one another but also within the individual.
Works Cited
“6 Types of Lesser-Known Eating Disorders.” Monte Nido, www.montenido.com/6-lesser-known-eating-disorders/. Accessed 17 Nov. 2023.
“Anorexia Nervosa and the Long‐Term Risk of Mortality in Women.” National Library of Medicine, 9 Sept. 2021, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8429328/. Accessed 17 Nov. 2023.
“Bulimia Nervosa.” Mayo Clinic, 10 May 2018, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/bulimia/symptoms-causes/syc-20353615. Accessed 17 Nov. 2023.
“Caring for a Person Who Has an Eating Disorder.” Queensland Government Health and Wellbeing, 27 Jul. 2010, www.health.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0032/444677/eatingdisorders.pdf. Accessed 30 Nov. 2023.
“Eating Disorder Statistics.” National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, https://anad.org/eating-disorder-statistics-2/. Accessed 17 Nov. 2023.
“Frequently Asked Questions About Eating Disorders.” Johns Hopkins Medicine, https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/psychiatry/specialty-areas/eating-disorders/faq. Accessed 17 Nov. 2023.
“Eating Disorder Statistics.” National Eating Disorder Association, www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/toolkit/parent-toolkit/statistics. Accessed 17 Nov. 2023.
Hodge, Kayne. “How Does Family Life Affect Mental Health? Building Blocks or Barriers.” Mental Health Center, 2 Jun. 2023, www.mentalhealthcenter.org/family-life-affect-mental-health/. Accessed 5 Dec. 2023.
“Internet Influence and Misinformation about EDs.” Eating Disorders Review, May 2021, eatingdisordersreview.com/internet-influence-and-misinformation-about-eds/. Accessed 17 Nov. 2023.
Jacobson, Rae. “College Students and Eating Disorders.” Child Mind Institute, 6 Nov. 2023, https://childmind.org/article/eating-disorders-and-college/. Accessed 5 Dec. 2023.
S, Cama, and Peleggi A. “Encouraging Parental Reflective Functioning in Caring for the Adolescent Patient: Opportunities to Foster Connection.” Slack, vol. 52, 2023, pp. e409-e412, https://doi.org/10.3928/19382359-20230906-03. Accessed 30 Nov. 2023.
“Student Mental Health Services.” Department of Wellness, wellness.okstate.edu/student-wellness/resources.html. Accessed 6 Dec. 2023.
“Welcome to the Cowboy Family.” Go.Okstate.Edu, 1 Jan. 2023, go.okstate.edu/about-osu/osu-family.html. Accessed 1 Dec. 2023.
West, Caroline E., et al. “The Interplay between Food Insecurity and Family Factors in Relation to Disordered Eating in Adolescence.” Appetite, vol. 189, 2023, p. 106994, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S019566632302456X?via%3Dihub. Accessed 17 Nov. 2023.
“What Are Eating Disorders?” American Psychiatric Association, 1 Feb. 2023,www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/eating-disorders/what-are-eating-disorders#:~:text=There%20are%20several%20types%20of,and%20eating%20disorder%20(OSFED). Accessed 17 Nov. 2023.
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