Eating Disorders

The National Eating Disorders Associations estimates that between 10 and 20% of college women, and 4 to 10% of college men suffer from an eating disorder. Below is a list of eating disorder symptoms. You may also check out the screening tools from the National Eating Disorders Association or the Eating Attitudes Test to help determine if you may need additional support. If you identify with one or more of the symptoms listed below, please drop in to connect with a consultant at K-State CAPS or schedule an appointment at Lafene Health Center (LHC) to assess your symptoms. CAPS and LHC’s medical and dietetics staff have partnered together to coordinate care and resources for students with eating disorder symptoms.

You may find more information about this in our Help for Disordered Eating brochure. CAPS cannot provide treatment for students with moderate to severe eating disorders but will help you get connected to a community provider or treatment facility, if this is necessary.

Many people associate eating disorders with looking too thin, but this is not always the case. Often people struggling with eating disorders are not underweight. If you or someone you know can identify with these symptoms, seek help. Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental health disorder. Below are some other warning signs that are descriptive of disordered eating behavior.

Common warning signs of disordered eating

Preoccupation with weight, food, calories and dieting
Refusal to eat certain foods, progressing to restrictions against whole categories of food
Frequent comments about feeling “fat”
Anxiety about weight gain or being “fat”
Denial of hunger
Dramatic weight loss
Development of food rituals
Consistent excuses to avoid mealtimes or situations involving food
Hiding food
Eating food and spitting it out
Feeling compelled to compensate in some way after eating
Excessive, rigid exercise regimens—despite weather, fatigue, illness or injury
Withdrawal from usual friends and activities
Evidence of binge eating, including the disappearance of large amounts of food in short periods of time
Evidence of purging behaviors, including frequent trips to the bathroom after meals, signs or smells of vomiting, and the presence of laxatives
Unusual swelling of cheeks or jaw area from vomiting
Calluses on the back of the hands and knuckles from self-induced vomiting
Discoloration or staining of the teeth
Creation of lifestyle schedules or rituals to make time for binge and purge sessions
Fatigue
Dizziness
Cold intolerance
Insomnia
Withdrawal from friends and activities
Negative self-talk about body image

Medical complications of eating disorders

If you are or someone you know is experiencing any of these symptoms, please contact Lafene Health Center for a health assessment at 785-532-6544, or CAPS for an intake at 785-532-6927.