People falsely assuming that others have an eating disorder is damaging

While eating disorders are relatively common, college students seem to rarely talk about it. According to Multi-Service Eating Disorder Association, or MEDA, 40 percent of female college students have eating disorders and 91 percent of female college students have attempted to control their weight through dieting.

Because mental illnesses and eating disorders carry stigmas, college students do not discuss them often enough on campus. The lack of dialogue and proper education surrounding eating disorders leads to misconceptions that can be harmful to people who suffer from them.

Though eating disorders occur in both genders, people associate the idea more with women than with men. However, a study conducted by IHPI member Daniel Eisenberg of the Department of Health Management and Policy at the University of Michigan and others, showed that 3.6 percent of men on a large university campus screened positive for eating disorders.

Unfortunately, the stigma surrounding male eating disorders is that they are weak and “un-manly.” Many of the tests used to screen for eating disorders use language aimed at females, which can cause men to not receive proper diagnosis.