NEDA TOOLKIT for Educators
I’m noticing some changes in weight, eating
habits, exercise, etc., with an athlete, but I’m
not sure if it’s an eating disorder. How can I
tell? Unless you are a physician or a clinician, you can’t
make a diagnosis, but you can refer the athlete to
appropriate resources that might help. Keep in mind,
however, that denial is typically a big part of eating
disorder behavior and an athlete may be unreceptive
to the suggestion that anything is wrong. Often it takes
several conversations before the athlete is ready to
listen to your concerns.
What if I say the wrong thing and make it
worse? Family, friends, school staff and coaches often express
concern about saying the wrong thing and making
the eating disorder worse. Just as it is unlikely that a
person can say something to make the eating disorder
significantly better, it is also unlikely that someone
can say something to make the disorder worse. Saying
nothing can be a bigger risk.
A group of athletes is dieting together. What
should we do?
Seeing an athlete develop an eating issue or disorder
can sometimes lead other athletes to feel confused,
afraid, or full of self-doubt. They may begin to
question their own values about thinness, healthy
eating, weight loss, dieting, and body image. At times
athletes may imitate the behavior of their teammates.
Imitating the behavior may be a way of dealing with
fear, trying to relate to the teammate with the eating
disorder, or trying to understand the illness. In other
cases, a group of athletes dieting together can create
competition around weight loss and unhealthy habits.
If dieting is part of the accepted norm of the team, it
can be difficult for any athlete seeking peer acceptance
to resist joining the behavior. Approaching an athlete
who is imitating the behavior of a teammate with an
eating disorder should be similar to approaching an
athlete with a suspected eating problem.
What should be done when rumors are
circulating about a student with an eating
disorder? If a student has an eating disorder and other students
are talking about it to the point where the student
with the eating disorder is uncomfortable coming to
school, a strategy to deal with the gossip should be
implemented. When a student is suspected of having
or is diagnosed with an eating disorder, fellow students
may have different reactions. Rumors often develop
that further isolate the student experiencing the eating
disorder and reinforce the stigma of mental illness,
potentially discouraging those who are struggling from
getting necessary help and support. Rumors can also be
a form of bullying. Here are some suggested strategies:
• Assess the role of the rumors. Sometimes
rumors indicate students’ feelings of
discomfort or fear.
• Demystify the illness. Eating disorders can
sometimes become glamorized or mysterious.
Provide accurate, age-appropriate information
that focuses on several aspects of the illness
such as the causes as well as the social and
psychological consequences (not only the
extreme physical consequences).
• Work privately with students who are
instigating and/or perpetuating rumors:
talk about confidentiality and its value. For
example, promote the idea that medical
information is private and therefore no one’s
business. Without identifying the students as
instigators of the rumors, encourage them to
develop strategies for dealing with the rumors
by establishing a sense of shared concern and
responsibility. For example, “Can you help
me work out a way of stopping rumors about
(student’s name), as he/she is finding them
very upsetting?”
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