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NEDA TOOLKIT for Educators Since eating disorders are linked to biology, my student doesn’t have much hope for recovery. Biological factors can make someone more vulnerable to an eating disorder, but the disorder is neither untreatable nor predestined. There is always hope for recovery; individuals can recover from eating disorders at any age or at any point in their illness. Although their vulnerability to turn to eating disordered behaviors when under stress may never disappear entirely, there are lots of good techniques that individuals with eating disorders can learn to help manage their emotions and keep behaviors from returning. The goal of recovery is to learn effective coping strategies that help individuals maximize emotional wellbeing, physical health, and quality of life. I don’t have to worry about eating disorders in male students because they’re a “girl thing.” Although eating disorders are believed to be more common in females, researchers and clinicians are becoming aware of a growing number of males who are seeking help for eating disorders. A 2007 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that up to one-third of all eating disorder sufferers are male. It’s currently not clear whether eating disorders are actually increasing in males or if more males who are suffering are seeking treatment or being diagnosed. Because physicians don’t think of eating disorders as occurring in males, their disorders have generally become more severe and entrenched at the point of diagnosis. There may be subtle differences in eating disorder thoughts and behaviors in males, who are more likely to be obsessed with building muscle than weight loss. They are also more likely to purge via exercise and misuse steroids than females. Gay, bisexual, and transgender males are more likely to develop an eating disorder than are straight males. My student is too young to develop an eating disorder. People who treat eating disorders are reporting increasing numbers of young children being diagnosed, some as young as five or six. Although eating disorders typically develop during adolescence and young adulthood, it is possible to develop an eating disorder at any age. Often, the thoughts and behaviors that precede the eating disorder begin much earlier than the onset of the disorder itself. Many eating disorder sufferers report that their thoughts and behaviors started much earlier than anyone realized, sometimes even in early childhood. Recognition of these early warning signs allows for more effective intervention. It is not clear whether people are actually developing eating disorders at younger ages or if an increased awareness of eating disorders in young children has led to improved recognition and diagnosis. Since I teach older students, I don’t have to worry about an eating disorder. They’ll grow out of it. The research literature has identified a subset of people with eating disorders who seem to recover spontaneously, without treatment. However, many people who struggle with eating disorders and disordered eating in their teens continue to struggle into adulthood unless they receive treatment. Increasing numbers of older men and women are being treated for eating disorders, either due to a relapse or because their disorder was never adequately treated. One should be careful not to assume that their students will spontaneously recover. It is important to encourage your student to seek help from professionals with experience treating eating disorders. If my student has bulimia, I don’t have to worry about him developing another eating disorder. Many with eating disorders will suffer from more than one disorder before they ultimately recover. Roughly half of all people with anorexia will go on to develop bulimia. Some individuals show signs of both anorexia and bulimia simultaneously, regularly binge eating and purging while at a low weight (this is technically known as anorexia, binge/purge type). Still others transition from one diagnosis to another, a process known as diagnostic cross-over. Purging only involves self-induced vomiting. Purging includes any method of removing food from the body before it is fully digested. Many times, an individual is driven to purge to compensate for what was perceived as excessive food intake. While self- induced vomiting is one of the most common ways that an individual will purge, it’s far from the only method. Individuals can also use laxatives and enemas, as well as non-purging compensatory behaviors, such as abusing insulin, fasting, and excessive exercise. An individual can purge through more than one method. Each method carries its own particular risks, but all involve potentially life-threatening electrolyte imbalances. Page  | 10