Eating disorders are invading college campuses, causing a big stress to their students as well as posing as a major health issue.According to Medical News, the medical definition of an eating disorder is a mental illness that cause serious disturbance in a person’s everyday diet.

The three most common eating disorders are anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorder.

Anorexia is characterized by the intense fear of gaining weight, extreme dieting and a significant weight loss in a short period of time.

Binge eating disorder and bulimia involve compulsive eating and binging on calorie rich food.

But with bulimia, there is the urge to compensate by purging, or getting rid of the calories through exercise or other means.

In a survey done by the National Eating Disorder Association(NEDA) of 1,000 college students, both male and female, it was found that nearly 20 percent of participants said they either have or have previously suffered from an eating disorder.

No matter which eating disorder, it results in a major contortion in body image and self worth.

“Since my eating disorder has been prevalent in my life, it’s been impossible for me to see how others view me. When people view me as thin, I view myself as fat. When they view me as beautiful, I view myself as ugly,” DU student Maggie Jones explains. Her name has been changed to protect her privacy.

“People with eating disorders feel very ambivalent about changing” explains Jacaranda Palmateer, Director of Health Care Services at the Health Care Center. “It’s a very difficult population to reach.”

There have been many efforts around DU campus to spread eating disorder awareness including Tri Delta’s Fat Talk Free Week and Eating Disorder Awareness Week.

With the highest mortality rate of any mental illness, it is important to take a stand and raise awareness. DU students participate in the NEDA (National Eating Disorder Awareness) annual Eating Disorder Walk.

The Health Care Center provides therapy and information how to lend your support if you know someone struggling. Contact for more information.