Rhyne-Winkler, Bips and Ruth Ann Johnson, chair of the psychology department at Augustana, Rock Island, agree that eating disorders are a serious and complex problem. People use their physical image as something they can control to make up for other aspects they feel they are lacking. She believes popular culture is mostly to blame for eating disorders. The ideal of the female body in our society is thin. You're beginning to see more variation of size in women on TV, but not with the younger characters.
Young women are most vulnerable.
They imitate what they see. Runners, wrestlers, people who have to maintain a weight to perform are most susceptible. Rhyne-Winkler, who also has a private therapy practice, says she sees people in their 40s and 50s who have chronic eating disorders. The issue is when did they begin. They're difficult to treat and involve many underlying issues.