Then, they will vomit, use laxatives, diuretics, or enemas to purge themselves of the food. They may also compensate for the food consumed by fasting or exercising heavily. Binge-Eating Disorder Sufferers will binge, consume large quantities of food in a sitting, as in bulimia nervosa, but will not engage in either purging or compensating behavior. There are also variations on each disorder. In addition, students are much more vulnerable to eating disorders when they go to college due to changes and stresses in their lives.
Food can be a way to cope with the changes and stresses and to add calm to one s life.
This study does not purport that college is a cause of eating disorders, but it is certainly clear that college women are associated with eating disorders, suffering heavy casualties. This has led to an objectification of women by the culture and by women themselves. Objectification creates a sense of disunity with one s body and thus allows one to try to control one s body as one would control an object or thing. This analysis can account for eating disorders in women, but there is increasing evidence of the pervasiveness of eating disorders in men. One must therefore look to other explanations for underlying causes of eating disorders.