These types of disorders are found in much of the population, especially in young women and it is a problem that needs to be addressed. A highly competitive environment like the University breeds the need to have control and stay on top. The move from the comforts of family life to the unfamiliar and demanding culture of college adds to the problem. What may start off as a small diet to lose a few pounds can quickly get out of control and can become the obsession of sufferers of anorexia nervosa. Their drive for thinness and fear of obesity, fueled by a distorted body image, lead them to starve themselves.
Starvation leads to increased anxiety depression, obsessive rigidity and to medical dysfunction.
Western culture and media are also to blame in these destructive and dangerous disorders. These societal pressures placed on women help to explain the striking gender gap for eating disorders - approximately 90 to 95 percent of all cases of anorexia nervosa occur in females. An increased placement on male thinness and dieting in recent years match an apparent increase in the number of eating disorders among males. Western society not only glorifies thinness, but it is unusually cruel and prejudiced against overweight individuals. For example, overweight individuals are often overlooked for job positions, even when their thinner contemporary is less qualified and experienced for the job.